Andre The Giant Documentary is Coming to HBO

If you are a fan of wrestling, especially a fan of when the WWE was called the WWF then you were undoubtedly a fan of Andre the Giant.  Well, you were a fan until the network decided it was time for him to turn into a bad guy and have he and Hulk Hogan square off, which by the way was one of the best decisions of any company ever.   But seriously, Andre the Giant was larger than life.  Not only was he a monster sized human, but he was a great guy. Now we’ll finally get the story on his life including his upbringing in France and his evolution as a wrestler.

You might remember that when Bill Simmons and ESPN parted that he wanted to do a documentary on Andre that would be a 30 for 30.   Now that Simmons is gone and over at HBO, his project is finally coming to fruition.   P.S. this isn’t the only Andre the Giant biopic in the works right now.

In any event, no word on an official release.  The film will be directed by Jason Hehir, an Emmy Award-winner who was with HBO Sports from 2001-2008 and helped produce the universally acclaimed 24/7 series of sports docs.

Here’s something from the press release

The ambitious and wide-ranging documentary film will explore Andre’s upbringing in France, his celebrated career in WWE and his forays in the entertainment world.

“For more than 20 years, Andre the Giant’s larger than life personality and unique charisma captured the imagination of fans around the world,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “I will always value our friendship, and am proud to tell the story of the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’.”

Bill Simmons, who joined HBO in the summer of 2015 and founded The Ringer, will serve as an executive producer of the film. “Going back to 2007 and 2008 when I was creating and developing ‘30 for 30′ for ESPN, Andre’s story rode the top of every single sports documentary wish list I ever made,” said Simmons. “We always hear about unicorns these days — Andre was the ultimate unicorn. He’s a true legend. Everyone who ever crossed paths with him has an Andre story — and usually four or five. I’m delighted to join forces with Jason Hehir and WWE so we can capture Andre’s amazing story once and for all.”

Via Uproxx