There was a rumour a few years ago that actor Liev Schreiber was set to star in Crossface, a controversial movie about Chris Benoit. Based on a book written by Matthew Randazzo titled "Ring Of Hell", the film would chronicle how Benoit killed his wife Nancy and son Daniel, before committing suicide himself, all over the course of a tragic weekend at his family home in the summer of 2007. The story first broke in July 2013 but at the time, Schreiber was quick to deny any involvement in the project, which does not have the backing of World Wrestling Entertainment. However, in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer mentioned that movie is happening, with Liev Schreiber indeed set for the lead role. Have the producers behind the movie finally won him over, two years after they reportedly courted him for it? Described two years ago as a biographical thriller, the film would chronicle the Canadian grapplers early career days, right up to that horrific weekend that would prove to be wrestling's darkest day. Written by former Weinstein Company staffer Sarah Coulter, the script for Crossface was said to include several WWE stars as characters, including the late Eddie Guerrero (Benoits good friend who died less than a year before the fatal incident from heart failure), Triple H and even Vince McMahon. Actors will almost certainly portray these roles. Coulter previously said about the structure of the movie;
Chris had a remarkable career. You take a look at his time in Japan and with Stu Hart, and you realize that youd need more than one movie to tell the entire Chris Benoit story. Ultimately, its about the 2007 murders/suicide, so we had to pick and choose the right moments in Chris career that may have been factors in his downfall.
The circumstances of Benoit's final days were easily the most shocking in the wrestling business and WWE, who were Benoit's employer at the time, have distanced themselves greatly from him, effectively wiping Benoit's wrestling legacy from history. Schreiber is an accomplished actor that regularly showcases his remarkable range and is winning many plaudits for his part on the hit TV show Ray Donovan, achieving his first Emmy nomination for the show this year. He is a great actor and even looks a fair bit like Benoit and has a history of playing deeply troubled characters who while appear on the surface to behaviour normally around others, deep inside they often mask an inner demon. In trying to find more information on the movie, there hasn't been anything signficant posted online in over two years, so for now it's just a rumour. BUT... Meltzer is the most respectable wrestling journalist there is, so he must have a good source to run it in his Newsletter that he's published for over 30 years.