After years of speculation and rumors, it appears the biography movie on the life and death of former WWE World Champion Chris Benoit is finally in the preliminary stages of production.
This news breaks as German helmer Lexi Alexander has come on board to direct the film, which has been called, “Crossface.” Additionally, producers are Alex A. Ginzburg and Tony Lee of “Let It Play,” along with Ram Getz and Matthew Randazzo, as executive producers.
Alexander will direct from a script by Jake Goldberger and Sarah Coulter. The project is based on Randazzo’s book, “Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit & the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry.”
The director, Lexi Alexander, is best known for directing “Punisher: War Zone,” received an Academy Award nomination for her short film “Johnny Flynton.” Her film “Green Street Hooligans,” starring Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam, won South by Southwest’s best of fest and a special jury awards in 2005. She has also directed episodes of the TV series “Limitless,” “Supergirl,” and “Arrow.”
Here’s a quote from Alexander about taking the job:
“I was pretty certain I’d stay in TV rather than returning to the feature world, because the material just seems so much better in TV, especially in drama, but then ‘Crossface’ came my way. A heartbreaking, true story about the dark side of wrestling. I couldn’t say no to that.”
At this time, there is no word on who will be playing the role of Benoit, but many have pegged Liev Schreiber due to the similarity in looks and being more than qualified to play the role.
This project is still in the very beginning stages, so more on this story will be come as it becomes available.
Source: Variety.com
If you’d like a in-depth conversation about the Benoit tragedy, you can listen to PWP Nation’s Jay Alletto and Eron Ramadanov full discussion on this horrible black eye on the wrestling business.
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