Chris Hemsworth To Star In Hulk Hogan Biopic

From Asgardian King to Lord of the Ring.

Chris Hemsworth, who shot to worldwide fame for his role as Thor in the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been tapped to play the lead in a forthcoming biopic based on the life of wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. The Hollywood Reporter was first with the news.

The movie, which looks to be landing at Netflix, should pique the interest of comics fans for another reason. It's set to be directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay by Scott Silver; while the former is perhaps best known for the Hangover trilogy and the latter for the Eminem vehicle 8 Mile, the pair will also be collaborating on Joker, the forthcoming standalone film featuring the iconic DC Comics villain, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. Among the biopic's producers are Hemsworth, Michael Sugar (who took home an Oscar for Spotlight), and Bradley Cooper, who shares a production company with Phillips aptly called Joint Effort. The Hulkster himself will also serve as executive producer and consultant.

According to THR's report, the flick will focus on the meteoric rise of Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) through the ranks of pro wrestling in the '70s and '80s, from his early days as an amateur fighter in Florida to his initial "villainous" turns in the World Wrestling Federation to his eventual emergence as the "heroic" face of the entire outfit. It's well-known that, in recent years, the Hulkster's public fortunes have not been terribly kind. In 2012, his image was tarnished just a bit when a sex tape featuring Hogan and the wife of one of his buddies was made public by the now-defunct website Gawker; the reason for Gawker's defunct status would be the multi-million dollar, years-long lawsuit brought against the website by Hogan in the wake of the tape's release. The enormous payout scored by Hogan in that case effectively sunk Gawker, but the salacious nature of the whole thing wasn't exactly a boon to the wrestling icon's image. The biopic (as one may have guessed) will not cover any of this, but will focus mainly on the career and rise to fame of the man who helped the WWF (later WWE) and all of its various imitators and competitors achieve nationwide prominence. 

The news comes as Hemsworth is preparing to open not one, but two long-awaited tentpole films in the coming months. First up will be Avengers: Endgame, in which Thor Odinson will attempt to help his original team of Avengers undo the damage wrought by the Mad Titan Thanos, who with a single snap of his Infinity Gauntlet-clad fingers decimated half of all life in the universe, including many of our favorite heroes; that film opens on April 26. Following that will come Men in Black: International, the long-gestating fourth installment in the MiB series, which will see Hemsworth take up the suit and shades to deal with aliens alongside his Thor: Ragnarok co-star Tessa Thompson; that flick hits the big screen on June 14.

We'd be remiss not to point out that after being passed over for the title of Strongest Avenger in favor of the Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok, we will now see Thor as the Hulk, just not the green one. If you're having a tough time picturing the chiseled Hemsworth in a do-rag and handlebar mustache, eyes bugged out to the size of dinner plates while shouting about all of the impossible things he's going to do to his next opponent in the ring, you're probably not alone. But the guy is undeniably a skilled actor, and among the more likable dudes in the business; if there's anyone capable of reminding us just why Hulkamania was such a potent cultural force (no, really) in the '80s, it's probably Hemsworth. 

This one will be fun to keep an eye on for the casting news alone: who will they get to play "Rowdy" Roddy Piper? What about the recently-passed announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund? And, is there anyone on Earth who can convincingly portray Andre the Giant onscreen? These are all burning questions for which we should have answers soon. No time frame has been announced for the as-yet untitled biopic's production, but you can bet your bottom dollar that we'll be on the lookout for more news, brother.