Andre the Giant Biopic in the Works

An official biography told in graphic novel form is far from typical, but then again, the same could be said for Andre Roussimoff, the pro-wrestling legend better known to fans as Andre the Giant. The 2015 graphic novel Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven will serve as the inspiration for the late wrestler’s big screen biopic, with his daughter Robin Christensen-Roussimoff serving as consultant on the project.

Per Variety, Christensen-Roussimoff assigned the exclusive rights to her father’s biopic to producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell. The pair, along with Lion Forge Comics, will bring the iconic pro-wrestler’s true-life story to the big screen based on author Brandon Easton and illustrator Denis Medri’s graphic novel.

The novel follows Andre “The Giant” Roussimoff from his younger days working on a family farm in France to his part in the burgeoning professional wrestling industry, which transformed Roussimoff into a celebrity in the World Wrestling Federation (which later became WWE) — which owes at least some of its success to Andre the Giant. Roussimoff’s nickname came from his imposing size, a result of gigantism — a painful condition that causes abnormally large growth due to a hormonal imbalance.

The fame Roussimoff earned through wrestling led to other opportunities, including a supporting role in the classic 1987 film The Princess Bride, in which he played a bandit named Fezzik opposite Wallace Shawn and Mandy Patinkin. Roussimoff passed away in 1993 at the age of 46.

A director and writer are still being sought for the biopic.