Hulk Hogan’s life was due to be the subject of a Netflix biopic before the idea was nixed in 2024. Eric Bischoff, The Hulkster’s long-time friend and former WCW boss, recently explained why the plan was canceled.
Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, passed away on July 24 at the age of 71 after suffering a heart attack. In 2019, news emerged that Australian actor Chris Hemsworth had agreed to play the WWE icon. The idea was put forward by the masterminds behind the Joker movie, director Todd Phillips and writer Scott Silver.
On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff recalled how the COVID-19 pandemic and a missed Netflix deadline caused delays. He also revealed that Hogan had doubts about the film because he did not want to upset WWE.
“Great script,” Bischoff said. “Hulk changed his mind, and the reason, I’ve found out subsequently, actually, recently, was Hulk really wanted to not only re-engage or further engage, but to maintain a long-term relationship with WWE. That was what was in his best interests, and the best interests of his brand, in his opinion, because as much as Hulk loved that script, it was edgy.”
Hulk Hogan was one of the biggest names in the wrestling business. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer headlined eight of the first nine WrestleMania events as a babyface. He also famously turned heel in WCW in 1996.
Eric Bischoff says Hulk Hogan “didn’t wanna take the risk”
In 2015, WWE fired Hulk Hogan and removed him from the Hall of Fame after audio emerged of him using racist language. Three years later, he was reinstated into the Hall of Fame and began making sporadic on-screen appearances again.
According to Eric Bischoff, Hogan did not want anything in the biopic to harm his mended relationship with WWE.
“There were things in that script that certain people would not be happy to see. Not dirt. Nothing that one would normally expect to come out in a movie, but the way certain people were positioned, the way stories were positioned, the perspective that was going on at the time. There would have been some people that may have taken exception to it, and Hulk just didn’t wanna take the risk.”
In a separate video, former WCW and WWE writer Vince Russo reflected on the “sad story” involving Hogan’s family.
Please credit 83 Weeks and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
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