Andre the Giant biopic in the works

Lion Forge Comics and producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell have partnered to develop a feature film about the life of iconic professional wrestler Andre "The Giant" Roussimoff.

The project is based on the authorised graphic novel biography published last year titled "Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven", reports variety.com.

Andre's daughter Robin Christensen-Roussimoff will consult on the film and has assigned the exclusive rights for the biography to the producers.

"I'm really excited to watch this story come to life on the big screen," Robin said.

"It's been a labour of love for everyone involved, and we're really looking forward to making it available to a larger audience," she added.

In addition to his wrestling career, Roussimoff played a key role in Rob Reiner's 1987 fantasy comedy "The Princess Bride" as Fezzik, part of a trio of bandits with characters played by Wallace Shawn and Mandy Patinkin.

He began wrestling professionally at the age of 17 and was billed as being 7-feet-4 and over 500 pounds hailing from "Grenoble in the French Alps".

"Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven" was written by Brandon Easton and illustrated by Denis Medri.

The biography, which was nominated for the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity and three Glyph Awards, recounts the wrestler's life from his earliest days working on the family farm in France along with the rise of professional wrestling itself through the World Wrestling Federation.

Steward and Lion Forge's Carl Reed will produce with Steindorff and Russell of Stone Village Productions, with Joel Falderon as a co-producer and Barry Alexander as an associate producer. Jimmy Thomas will executive produce with Peter Fruchtman.

--IANS

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