The most powerful man in sports entertainment is planning to “Sweet Chin Music” his way into the big screen.
Today, the Hollywood Reporter has announced that TriStar Pictures will be moving forward to create a biopic of the life of WWE CEO’s Vince McMahon. The flick will be called Pandemonium. The project will be directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, whileCraig A. Williams and Andrew Lazar handle the script.
After being raised by his mother and a series of stepfathers in North Carolina, Vince first got into wresting through his father Vincent J. McMahon, who was a promoter for Capitol Wrestling Corporation. After college, he made his debut as an in-ring announcer in 1969 working for his father’s World Wide Wrestling Federation promotion, later renamed to WWF. Vince spent years as a very successful promoter and commentator for TV matches.
McMahon founded his own company, Titan Sports, in 1979, and soon after acquired his father’s company (which was later renamed to WWE due to a trademark dispute). He ruffled feathers in the industry by starting to promote his company nationally at a time when wrestling organizations were regional and worked under an understanding that they would not invade each other’s territories.
McMahon focused on making the company’s wrestlers big stars and celebrities in their own right. An elite, legendary list from the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Andre The Giant to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
In 1985, he ran the first annual WrestleMania, the WWE’s equivalent of the Super Bowl, at Madison Square Garden. He has also appeared on WWE TV, and occasionally competed as a wrestler, under the ring name Mr. McMahon, who had a legendary feud with Austin and faced off against many of the great names of wrestling.
