Andre “The Giant” Roussimoff, the legendary wrestler who co-starred in “The Princess Bride,” is getting his own biopic courtesy of Lion Forge Comics and producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell, it was announced Monday.
The project is based on an authorized biography that was published last year as a graphic novel, “Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven,” written by Brandon Easton and illustrated by Denis Medri.
Andre the Giant‘s daughter, Robin Christensen-Roussimoff, will serve as a consultant on the film and granted the producers the exclusive rights to “Closer to Heaven,” which recounts the wrestler’s life from his childhood in France to his rise through the ranks of the WWF.
Lion Forge’s CEO David Steward II and Carl Reed will produce with Steindorff and Russell of Stone Village Productions. Joel Falderon will serve as co-producer and Barry Alexander will serve as associate producer. Jimmy Thomas and Peter Fruchtman will executive produce.
Steindorff likened Andre the Giant‘s story to that of the Elephant Man, given the wrestler’s health condition of gigantism. He was billed as being 7 feet 4 inches tall and over 500 pounds before his death in 1993 at age 46.
Andre the Giant famously played the bandit Fezzik in Rob Reiner‘s 1987 classic “The Princess Bride.” By all accounts, he was a charming man who was much more gentle than his antics in the ring would have people believe. He was such a unique individual that producers may be hard-pressed to find an actor worthy of his (one shoulder strap) tights.
News of the project was first reported by Variety.