Chris Hemsworth to Play Hulk Hogan in Biopic

Thor star Chris Hemsworth is set to play Hulk Hogan in new Neflix movie about the wrestling legend, according to a scoop by The Hollywood Reporter.

The biopic will be directed by Todd Phillips, who is currently working on a Joker film based on the DC Comics supervillain. Phillips is best known for writing and directing films including Road Trip, Old School, The Hangover series and Borat.

According to THR, the film will focus on the origins and rise of Hulkamania and not on the scandals of Hogan’s post-ring career.

Hemsworth, 35, from Melbourne, Australia, will portray the WWE Hall of Famer. The Hollywood star’s acting credits include Star Trek and Rush, but he’s best known for his role in the Thor and The Avengers series of films in the Marvel cinematic universe.

Hogan, 65, real name Terry Bollea, is on board officially as a consultant on the movie as well as an executive producer. Hogan became the most famous wrestler on the planet in tandem with the success of Vince McMahon’s then WWF in the 1980s. He headlined the first nine WrestleManias and established himself as a global icon of TV and cinema en route to winning 12 world titles. Hogan faced everyone from Andre the Giant and ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper to ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior at his peak. He later joined WWE’s rival WCW during the 1990s Monday Night Wars, but returned to WWE in 2002 and memorably clashed with The Rock.

The Hulkster last appeared on WWE TV on Raw last month, to mark the death of his close friend, iconic interviewer ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund.

Prior to that, he hosted the controversial Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia in November, which was his first WWE appearance since 2015.

The wrestler had his WWE contract terminated in July that year, after he was recorded repeatedly making a racial slur in a leaked video.

After apologizing for his comments, Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame last July, when he attended the Extreme Rules event.

The biopic on the six-time WWE Champion will be written by John Pollono (Stronger) and Scott Silver (The Joker).