The Real Problem With Netflix's Hulk Hogan Movie
"Consultant: Hulk Hogan" Uh-oh!
There are certain stories in pro wrestling history that absolutely deserve the long-read treatment. It's a carnival of incredible characters, even beyond the gimmicks adopted for the product and their journeys to success (or not, in some even more compelling cases) ought to be told.
Who wouldn't want to see a real The Social Network-style approach to Vince McMahon's life, for instance? Or Chyna's story? Or the Benoit tragedy? They're all irresistible stories for different reasons and they absolutely belong on the same platform as Paige's Fighting With My Family.
The next one we're getting is Hulk Hogan and the rise of Hulkamania.
Now, that's not inherently a bad thing, by any means, because Hogan is a cross-cultural figure who was broadly responsible for the mainstream crossover of pro-wrestling. Thanks, Mr Nanny. He's also a divisive, controversial figure whose most compelling story of all played out in a courtroom against a media conglomerate and then on the digital courtroom of the Internet when he was embroiled in a racism scandal, all within a short space of time. Imagine an American Crime Story treatment of all of that... It's so delicious you have to wonder why nobody's pitched it yet.
In place of that, what we're getting is Netflix's take on the zenith of his career starring Chris Hemsworth. A bold casting choice, but add some silken hair to his head and the statuesque Australian does actually fit Hogan's younger look pretty well. And there's always going to be a little creativity with beauty when casting these things, let's just say. On paper, it should be good, but there's a pretty big problem here.
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Putting aside the issues of him being a problematic figure, the issue is that Hogan himself is acting as a producer and consultant (along with Eric Bischoff) on the film. He's writing his own history, which has always proved an... interesting choice for biopics and an absolute bloody minefield for Hogan. He has previous with being economical with the truth and even more previous with being creative with it (at least according to other people's accounts).