The tumultuous legal battle between Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media is on its way to getting the Hollywood treatment now that David Neuman's production company has acquired the rights to the novel by Ryan Holiday that's based on the events.
Blackrock Productions is looking to turn the contemptuous lawsuit between the WWE icon turned reality star and the publishing group who released his sex tape into a feature film production, or a limited TV series, reports Deadline.
The lawsuit resulted in Gawker having to cough up $140 million, which in turn bankrupted the company. Holiday's book, Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker and the Anatomy of Intrigue, was published only last Tuesday, but Blackrock has already scooped up the rights for a cinematic adaptation. Neuman told Deadline, “We’re very far along in exploring both options. The talent we’re talking to will help us tip the scale one way or another.”
Holiday's book gives the inside scoop on what really went down behind the scenes of the controversy that lead to Gawker's demise. In it, he's provided accounts sourced directly from the involved parties: Nick Denton, Gawker's founder, Hogan, Hogan's lawyer, Peter Thiel, as well as a key player named only as "Mr. A."
With the major success of limited series like American Crime Story, it's obvious why a production company would be quick to capitalize on such a salacious story as that of Hogan vs. Gawker.
