Ben Affleck might soon play wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. On Monday, reports confirmed that Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity production company has acquired the screenplay for Killing Gawker, a new biopic that will dramatize the real-life legal battle between Hogan and Gawker Media. Affleck is reportedly in talks to portray Hogan himself, but a deal has yet to be finalized. Gus Van Sant, who has worked with Affleck and Damon on their award-winning film Good Will Hunting, is in talks to direct Killing Gawker.
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The script for Killing Gawker is based on Ryan Holiday’s 2018 book Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker and the Anatomy of Intrigue. The film version is being written by Charles Randolph, who was previously nominated for an Oscar for his work on 2015’s The Big Short. It would chronicle the legal ordeal between Gawker Media and Hogan, which stemmed from the website publishing a clip of a 2006 sex tape of the wrestler in 2012. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, sued the outlet for invasion of privacy, infringement of personality rights, and emotional distress, seeking $100 million in damages. In 2016, Gawker agreed to pay Hogan $31 million, and ultimately shut down their website entirely amid the ordeal. This is the second biopic surrounding Hogan to be in the works, with Chris Hemsworth portraying the wrestler in a more straightforward dramatization of his life.
Will Ben Affleck Play Batman Again?
After briefly cameoing in the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman in last year’s The Flash movie, it has been confirmed that Affleck will not continue in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe — and he has previously hinted that he will be leaning towards franchise movies overall.
“…With The Last Duel, I thought, ‘Well, that’s probably the last theatrical release I’ll have,’” Affleck explained in a 2021 interview. “Because I don’t want to do IP movies, where you have this sort of built-in audience. That’s something I was interested in and liked, and I just don’t like anymore. I like other people who do it. And if you are going to do it, you should love it. And I love something different. So, I want to do that. Really, what’s important to me is that people see it. I mean, this is in a limited theatrical release, and that’s great. I know that 90% of people are going to see it on Amazon, and I want them to see it. I want them to see the movie. That’s more important to me.”
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