MCU star Chris Hemsworth is set to play the lead in a Netflix biopic of professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, and here's what we know so far. Hogan is arguably the most famous professional wrestler to ever step in the ring, with the possible exception of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Hogan led the then WWF to its highest heights yet in the 1980s, which has since been dubbed the Hulkamania era due to how closely associated the entire wrestling industry became with the ripped grappler at the time.
In the 1990s, Hogan would find a way to stay on top, transitioning to competing organization WCW, and becoming a founding member of the New World Order, the most iconic group to emerge from the Monday Night Wars era. The WWF and WCW spent years battling each week, with people like The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Undertaker captaining Monday Night Raw as it went head to head with "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Sting, and Goldberg over on Monday Nitro.
Of course, the most recent decade saw Hogan's public image get hugely tarnished, thanks to the release of a tape in which Hogan went on a racist rant against African-Americans while being recorded without his knowledge. Still, Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, has certainly led a life worthy of the cinematic treatment, and here's what we know about Chris Hemsworth's Netflix biopic.
Chris Hemsworth's Hulk Hogan Biopic Release Date
Netflix's currently untitled Hulk Hogan biopic starring Chris Hemsworth has yet to be assigned a release date, and for good reason, as production has yet to begin. The script is also not quite finished, according to recent comments by Hemsworth. Directed by Joker helmer Todd Phillips, and co-written by Scott Silver and John Pollono, the biopic could conceivably release in 2021 should it begin filming before the end of 2020, if not, 2022 is more likely.
Chris Hemsworth's Hulk Hogan Biopic Transformation
In a July 2020 interview with Total Film, Chris Hemsworth went into detail on what kind of physical transformation he'll need to undertake to play Hulk Hogan, who in his prime was over 300 pounds of solid muscle. Even at age 66, Hogan is still very muscular. Hemsworth says he'll need to pack on more muscle than he ever did for Thor, and also need to master Hogan's distinctive accent, dye his hair blond, and grow a mustache.
Chris Hemsworth's Hulk Hogan Movie Story Details
For those hoping for a warts and all, no holds barred look at Hulk Hogan's life, it would be wise to temper their expectations. Hogan himself is a consultant and executive producer on the film, with his old WCW pal Eric Bischoff also producing. The biopic is set to look at Hogan's rise to fame and wrestling career, and likely won't even touch Hogan's sex tape and racist rant scandals. Still, while it may be incomplete in that respect, there's a lot of juicy material to cover concerning Hogan's time on top of the WWF and WCW, if he chooses to be honest about the backstage goings on.