Eric Bischoff has provided an update on Netflix biopic about the life of wrestling legend and longtime friend, Hulk Hogan. Bischoff confirms his involvement in the project, but insists it is “not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination.”
During a discussion with Christy Olson on After 83 Weeks, Bischoff says media coverage about the Hulk Hogan caught them off-guard. He considers the project “in development” but there has been no casting and no production scheduled. He admits, if Netflix had given the Hogan movie the green light, he’d already be out shopping for a new truck.
“The information about this movie was never supposed to make the press,” Bischoff said. “The project is still technically in development, meaning it’s not scheduled for production. There’s no casting going on. There’s no scheduling going on. It’s still in, I would say, the late stages of development. So it’s not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. I wish it was, because I’d be out looking for a new truck. But it’s not.”
Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) is in discussions to portray Hogan. He’s expressed excitement about the project, but there has been no official announcement from Netflix that it is moving past the preliminary stages. Even Hemsworth’s involvement seems uncertain at this point, despite his own public comments expressing excitement to portray Hogan and learn more about the ‘fascinating’ world of pro wrestling.
Earlier this week, Hulk Hogan tweeted photos of himself and Chris Hemsworth, joking that Hemsworth is “already there” with his physique.
Bischoff added that the bulk of his involvement as a consultant on the film was in the “early, early, early phases.” Director Todd Philips and writer Scott Silver have been linked to the movie. Bischoff says “the packaging” of their involvement makes it easier to attract an A-list star like Chris Hemsworth.
“That’s called packaging, and I think the packaging is what got this movie off the ground,” he said. “That took place two years ago.”
With the Hulk Hogan Netflix project in limbo, Eric Bischoff cites the Covid pandemic as the big holdup. He thinks that it will remain on ice until the world gets back to normal
“The biggest holdup right now folks, is Covid. This is a big movie, by the way. It’s a wrestling based movie. So guess what you need to have in a wrestling based movie—a crowd! Where are you going to do that? You can’t even have ten people at your house for Thanksgiving right now. So until that part of it is figured out, it’s likely that this project is going to stay kind of right where it is, which is really far down the line.”
He finished up with some optimism, adding, “I don’t want to sound like it’s not going to happen. It’s going to happen.”
Watch the rest of Eric Bischoff’s Q&A on the latest After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson in the YouTube player embedded below:
