Back in 2012, Gawker published a leaked sex tape of former WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan that led to a lawsuit backed by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. The $115 million verdict ultimately led to the demise of Gawker, and there’s been a screenplay about the saga making the rounds in Hollywood for a while. According to a new report from PWInsider, the movie is now “expected to move forward in the days ahead” with the backing of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the latter of whom is eyeing the role of Hogan.
If the rumors bear out, Damon and Affleck would pick up the project, titled Killing Gawker, through their Artist Equity production company with a reported January 2025 launch in mind. Damon would also star in the film as Thiel.
The screenplay for Killing Gawker was penned by Charles Randolph, who won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Big Short. It’s based on Ryan Holiday’s 2018 book Conspiracy: A True Story of Power, Sex, and a Billionaire’s Secret Plot to Destroy a Media Empire, which gave context to the lawsuit by chronicling Thiel’s vendetta against Gawker for outing him as gay. His obsession with bringing down the website motivated him to back Hogan’s lawsuit.
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This isn’t the first Hulk Hogan biopic to hit the rumor wire. Chris Hemsworth recently acknowledged talks of a Netflix movie from Joker director Todd Phillips, but said he couldn’t confirm whether “it’s officially happening yet.”
The latest Artist Equity film, The Instigators starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, is currently in theaters. Catch it on Apple TV+ beginning August 9th. Watch the trailer below.
Meanwhile, Hogan recently spoke on the final night of the Republican National Convention.