Sartaj Singh
The film adaptation of Hulk Hogan’s legal battle against Gawker Media will enter production in the Empire State! Gus Van Sant’s ‘Killing Gawker’ will begin shooting in New York in January 2025. The movie, formerly titled ‘Conspiracy,’ is based on Ryan Holiday’s 2018 book ‘Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker and the Anatomy of Intrigue.’ Charles Randolph penned the screenplay. The script was acquired by Artist Equity, whose co-founders Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are backing the project as producers.
The Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker court case was one of the most sensational and significant legal battles in recent media history, raising critical questions about privacy, freedom of the press, and the influence of powerful individuals on the media landscape. Fought in a Florida circuit court, the case involved WWE legend Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) suing Gawker Media in 2013 after their website released a sex tape of him sleeping with his friend’s wife. The media house was not afraid of the lawsuit, as they had previously shrugged off many. However, they were unaware that a far greater threat was masterminding Hogan’s offensive.
According to Holiday’s book, the real story of the case began in 2007, when Gawker published a blog on Valleywag, outing PayPal founder Peter Thiel as gay. The billionaire had deliberately kept his sexual orientation private, limited to family and close friends, and did not appreciate the exposé. When Hogan began his legal campaign against Gawker in 2013, Thiel saw his chance and waged a proxy war against the company without their knowledge. The freedom of the press versus the privacy angle of the case is explored in the Netflix documentary, ‘Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press.’
Gus Van Sant helped Damon and Affleck make a name for themselves by helming ‘Good Will Hunting,’ which won the pair an Academy Award for their screenplay. With his diverse filmography, which includes crime and courtroom dramas, Sant excels in exploring complex human stories and controversial topics. He is known for ‘My Own Private Idaho,’ starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix, the true crime thriller ‘Elephant,’ the darkly comedic ‘Drugstore Cowboy,’ and ‘Paranoid Park.’
Sant previously shot ‘Finding Forrester,’ led by Sean Connery, and the star-studded Western rom-com ‘Even Cowgirls Get the Blues’ in New York. The state served as the filming location for similar true crime productions such as ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ ‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘The Irishman,’ and ‘Molly’s Game.’
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