During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, John Pollono, writer of the Hulk Hogan biopic, praised Chris Hemsworth for his acting abilities. Hemsworth is poised to portray the legendary wrestler in an upcoming Netflix movie, which is currently untitled and has yet to begin filming. While not much is known about the biopic, Hogan is said to serve as both an executive producer and consultant for the project, in which he’s been keeping a close eye on Hemsworth’s bodybuilding progress.
Arguably one of the most famous professional wrestlers of all time, Hogan brought Hulkamania to life in the 1980s and 90s. Known for his in-ring antics, the Hogan's physical appearance played a crucial role in his intimidating persona, particularly his handlebar mustache and bulging biceps. Never a stranger to the spotlight, his natural charisma and ability to draw in audiences helped jump start an acting career that began in 1982 with Rocky III and included a starring role in 1991’s Suburban Commando. Hogan has lived a life worthy of cinematic treatment, and it seems the creators of his upcoming biopic couldn’t be happier with their casting choice.
Screen Rant sat down with Pollono, and actors John Bernthal and Shea Whigham for an exclusive interview to discuss their recent film, Small Engine Repair. During the interview, Pollono was asked about Hemsworth being cast as Hogan for the upcoming biopic. Pollono responded by praising Hemsworth as an actor and citing his impressive range. View Pollono’s response below:
"Look man, I don't know what I'm allowed to say about that. They send people that script and they have to read it in two hours, it's like top secret, so I'm not gonna be the guy who gets fired on it. But I'll tell you, I'm really proud of the work, it's great. Coming from theater, I like to write for actors, and Scott Silver, who co-wrote that with me who was like a mentor early in my career, some of my favorite scripts were written by him, so it's like a joy to work with. But I love writing for great actors, I think Chris Hemsworth, like these guys, he's awesome. You can make him funny and tragic and all that stuff. I'm really excited to see the movie and hopefully -- I don't know how COVID-friendly that movie would be to shoot cause they got like 30,000 people in the crowds in some of these scenes, so hope eventually they get to make it. I can't wait to see it someday."
Hemsworth, who is mostly known as Marvel’s Avenger, Thor, has starred in a number of diverse films throughout his acting career. However, he has proven himself to be well suited to action-packed roles that allow him to show off his impressive physique. In fact, Hogan himself has already publicly approved the choice to cast the Australian actor in his biopic. The wrestler took to Instagram to share a photo of Hemsworth with the caption, “[Hemsworth] has that Hogan Pump on Jack.”
As Pollono points out above, Hemsworth has shown his diversity in his more serious roles, such as 2015’s In the Heart of the Sea, and more comedic roles, such as playing Stone Crandall in the Vacation reboot. And given Hemsworth’s acting resume and dedication to maintaining his famously muscled-up build, he seems to be the perfect choice to play the iconic former wrestler. While the biopic has yet to begin filming (partly due to the coronavirus pandemic), it seems like Pollono’s script is finished and ready to go. Although based on Pollono’s comments, it doesn’t seem like the film will be released any time soon. However, like Pollono, fans are more than excited to see Hemsworth's final transformation into Hulk Hogan once the biopic is finished.