Lion Forge Comics are teaming with Stone Village producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell to develop a feature film about the life of legendary pro wrestler Andre “The Giant” Roussimoff. The biopic will be based off of Lion Forge’s authorized graphic novel, Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven.
Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven was written by Brandon Easton and illustrated by Denis Medri receiving a nomination for the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity and three Glyph Awards. The graphic novel recounts the famed wrestler’s life from his earliest days working on on the family farm in France along with the rise of professional wrestling itself, from a global circuit of underground matches to the global phenomenon it is today, due in large part to Andre the Giant’s celebrity. It is being republished in a new edition this month.
“Andre the Giant rode the wave of the rise of wrestling in America, while suffering from the painful health condition of gigantism; there’s an Elephant Man story here,” Steindorff said.
Lion Forge CEO David Steward II agreed, saying, “As a lifelong wrestling fan, I can say with conviction that no one was bigger than Andre. His presence and charisma were so powerful, and you could tell there was much more to him under the surface of his ring persona. It’s been an amazing experience telling that story in the book with Robin’s help. With all the spectacle, action, and emotion there on the page, a feature film just made perfect sense.”
Andre the Giant’s daughter Robin Christensen-Roussimoff will consult on the film and assigned the exclusive rights for the biography to the producers. Those producers are Lion Forge CCO Carl Reed, Stone Village Productions Steindorff and Russell. Joel Falderon will co-produce with Barry Alexander as an associate producer. Jimmy Thomas will be the executive producer.
“I’m really excited to watch this story come to life on the big screen,” Robin Christensen-Roussimoff said. “It’s been a labor of love for everyone involved, and we’re really looking forward to making it available to a larger audience.”
