PAIGE film "Fighting With My Family" produced by The Rock

Lord TSC

WWE, Film4 and The Rock are teaming up to do a film version of Channel 4 British documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family. Stephen Merchant writing and directing. Yes, they are doing a film based on the life of Paige....

http://screencrush.com/johnson-merchant-paige-movie/

Jerichoholic

They should do a comedy about herself and Del Rio, based on Sid and Nancy

J. Marston

What a strange collaboration.

leggo

That could be a REALLY good film! If you know about the Knight family, you'll know there's a lot of material to work with there if they do it right.

Monokne

Paige's WWE career has 9 lives. She'll be under contract for YEARS now.

J. Marston

Maybe the whole thing with Del Rio is a stunt to get more material for the movie?

Genius!

SureYWouldntYa

When I first seen that I was sure it was from kayfabe news or similar

Mad, good but mad

Agent Coulson

So now that The Rock and Stephen Merchant are making a film based on her family Paige hints to TMZ she may consider a move into MMA (ADR's company) after her WWE contract runs out.

gerrybbadd

Lena Heady has been announced as Saraya Knight for this movie. Great casting choice. Nick Frost of Shaun of the Dead fame will play Paige's dad.

PTH2009

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Lena Heady has been announced as Saraya Knight for this movie. Great casting choice. Nick Frost of Shaun of the Dead fame will play Paige's dad.

I'd say Paige's family are insane in real life. Never saw the doc

On a sort of relate thing is the Chris benoit movie still being made ???.

I wonder what other wrestler movies could be made ?. Although Micky Rourkes The Wrestler was 100% fictional I loved it

gerrybbadd

PTH2009 wrote: »

I'd say Paige's family are insane in real life. Never saw the doc

On a sort of relate thing is the Chris benoit movie still being made ???.

I wonder what other wrestler movies could be made ?. Although Micky Rourkes The Wrestler was 100% fictional I loved it

Jake Robert's life story would be great as a movie. Really depressing though.

I think a Kayfabe Undertaker / Kane story would be fantastic

ERG89

PTH2009 wrote:

On a sort of relate thing is the Chris benoit movie still being made ???.

Poor Liev Schreiber has been linked with that role a while. It's not an easy role even if you go into him changing the ending is darker than 10 seasons of Black Mirror endings combined.

jaykhunter

mod note: moved all the posts about this into one thread!

jaykhunter

A lot of big names involved, really interested to see how it turns out. Love Stephen Merchant from his Ricky Gervais & Portal 2 stuff, glad to see him getting more substantial work.

Note that WWE Studios and Film 4 are involved so that looks really good for Paige's WWE career (since she's been out with her neck injury she seems to be in a downward spiral with del rio, 2 wellness violations). WWE definitely see the marketing potential for her, despite the scary reports coming out. Got star written all over her.

J. Marston

jaykhunter wrote: »

A lot of big names involved, really interested to see how it turns out. Love Stephen Merchant from his Ricky Gervais & Portal 2 stuff, glad to see him getting more substantial work.

Note that WWE Studios and Film 4 are involved so that looks really good for Paige's WWE career (since she's been out with her neck injury she seems to be in a downward spiral with del rio, 2 wellness violations). WWE definitely see the marketing potential for her, despite the scary reports coming out. Got star written all over her.

Yeah, Paige is going to be pushed to the moon with this. Big Hollywood movie with Rock, Cersei and Stephan Merchant attached? WWE will be wetting themselves over that kind of mainstream exposure.

Any further wellness violations might be quietly swept under the carpet.

ShagNastii

ERG89 wrote: »

Poor Liev Schreiber has been linked with that role a while. It's not an easy role even if you go into him changing the ending is darker than 10 seasons of Black Mirror endings combined.

Am disappointed it looks like this will fail to get off the ground. Love Schreiber and think he'd be great in the role.

It's a fairly fascinating story. How would you tell it? Everytime I think of Benoit and the whole incident I look at it differently. One day I'll feel completely sorry and see Benoit as a mentally ill tragedy. The next day I can see him like most, as a heartless murderer.

It could be tonally not unlike Foxcatcher.

Agent Coulson

How long has she left on her WWE contract?

Is this part of the reason she has been trying to get fired I wonder this project isn't something that happened over night I'd guess this has been going on behind the scenes since before she and ADR went on their benders.


Will she purposelessly fail another wellness test to get her third strike so then be fired.

JP Liz V1

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Lena Heady has been announced as Saraya Knight for this movie. Great casting choice. Nick Frost of Shaun of the Dead fame will play Paige's dad.

Who is playing Paige or is it herself?

Skins and Maze Runner actress Kaya Scodelario could be a good choice or will it be UK's royal uncrowned princess Keira Knightley

bobby_says_hi

Keira Knightley is far too old to be Paige. She looks great but she's in her thirties, and Paige was signed when she was 20. Kaya Scodelario would be a great choice. But there may also be a great unknown actress who could do so much with the role.

The documentary was interesting, and the Knights are a wacky family. Saraya apparently wrestled for six months before she realised she was pregnant. There was a load of conflict between Paige and her brother, who both tried out around the same time. She's signed instantly, while he's told to get in shape.

Agent Coulson

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Who is playing Paige or is it herself?

Florence Pugh is down to play her.

J. Marston

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Florence Pugh is down to play her.

Dye the hair black, throw on half a gallon of eyeshadow and shout "This is my house!"

Boom, you got yourself a Paige.

jaykhunter

Ha ha, yeah. Although she'd better do some wrestling training. Could be a disaster otherwise, they'd have at least a few scenes with her in the ring; especially as the film's main audience would be wrestling fans!

CastorTroy

What type of movie are we talking? Lifetime/Hallmark showing on Movies24 a few months after it's finished? A straight to dvd/vod movie? Or least likely, a WWE films cinematic release?

JP Liz V1

CastorTroy wrote: »

What type of movie are we talking? Lifetime/Hallmark showing on Movies24 a few months after it's finished? A straight to dvd/vod movie? Or least likely, a WWE films cinematic release?

I think with The Rock and Stephen Merchant involved it will get a cinema release, maybe festival circuits first to see how it is received

brick tamland

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Jake Robert's life story would be great as a movie. Really depressing though.

Already been made that one, its called The Wrestler. :-)

CSF

I think it's mad to see the people involved in this, I can't see how this appeals to anyone outside the biggest WWE fans.

Bounty Hunter

The Rock's name is getting this made. Frost is a huge wrestling fan iirc and Lena Heady while huge due to her role in Game of Thrones would be mad to turn down a leading role in a movie considering most of her other work isn't as big or at least in as big a role, her last non GOTs show for example was the Danger Mouse remake which while a cult classic is not exactly the same as a lead role in a big movie. The Rock having even a cameo is massive for promotional purposes as is the free advertising WWE would offer with their own shows and it would easily be the biggest movie in turns of being a potential money maker WWE Films would have the chance of getting involved in. Merchant too outside of being popular due to his having co-created the Office is probably only known for Hello Ladies in the states. This project just seems like a win win for everyone involved.

Thinking back to Paiges posdcast with Stone Cold and you can't help but think her life would be littered with screen worthy scenes and not just the obvious her mum wrestling while pregnant with her. I remember her talking about being sent off on her own at like 13 to wrestle in Scandinavia etc there is a reason Paige comes across as a bit abnormal these days (as she and ADR write the sequel in real life atm).

sky88

even in daniel bryans book he talks about seeing paiges dad and brothers beat someone up in the locker room

JoeyReagan

Good for her, hard worker who has paid untold dues, I feel bad that she was pushed to one side for the new generation of talent which I feel led to her current problems with the company.

grames_bond

CastorTroy

Nick Frost as HHH and Lena reprising her sarah connor role

bobby_says_hi

JoeyReagan wrote: »

Good for her, hard worker who has paid untold dues, I feel bad that she was pushed to one side for the new generation of talent which I feel led to her current problems with the company.

Part of the problem is the character, which still heavily belongs in the Diva Era. It was conceived as 'The Anti Diva Army' in FCW with Sofia Cortez, but she was released. Paige was over in NXT though so all they had to do was push her - and she didn't get the investment from the creative team that Emma, Bayley, Sasha, Charlotte etc. got along the way. So she gets called up to TV with only a look and no character to go with it. With the Four Horsewomen on the roster, she stood out even worse when all she had going for her was "boys, **** over me because I'm not girly. I'm just like you" and nothing else.

She's just never had the chance to evolve her character beyond the goth sex toy like so many of the other Divas - Nikki Bella, Alicia Fox etc. It's the same reason Natalya sticks out like a sore thumb among the other Smackdown women - their characters are all stronger and all she has is wrestling.

sky88

I think the problem with pagie is the anti diva tag seems fake she's the same as the other divas just paler.

I think she's also not as good as the rest of the women in ring.

Monokne

Paige is the classic example of someone who you look at and think she should be a star, but she isn't.

She's a reasonably attractive girl, has a unique look, she has clearly got some personality and she's not bad in the ring. However she never connected with the people once she got on the main roster. You can argue her booking was scatty and I wouldn't disagree, but however hard they went with her in either direction, the reactions were always muted. She was never a super over babyface and she was never a hated heel.

I've heard someone else make this point but I think it's often overlooked - while there are criteria that often help to make someone a star, the litmus test of whether or not someone can get over is, put bluntly, whether or not they get over.

Paige has had lots of perks some other women haven't - Total Divas, Tough Enough, the big push out of the gate etc. But she's never really gotten over and she's never connected like a star. Movie isn't going to change that. It's just not in her.

Agent Coulson

Pagie's story before she joined the WWE and after she went off the rails are the only interesting story's about her.

Her time as a NXT/WWE wrestler isn't in anyway interesting.


Pagie like most of the NXT stars looked like stars in a bingo hall atmosphere that the NXT arena creates with it's fanboy audience but once she and most got to the big league there real level is shown mid to bottom carders and jobbers.


Of course there is going to be exceptions to that but not many.

bobby_says_hi

And I don't think Paige ever came across as someone who would really fight for the division like Sasha, Bayley, Becky and even Charlotte did. Look at her dreadful matches against AJ Lee. Booking was partly to blame, but Paige didn't seem to be putting any effort in at all. I contrast to Nikki Bella who, despite getting craptacular booking and storylines, still invested a lot of effort into her ring work and produced some very good matches. Paige doesn't really fit into the big grand atmosphere of WWE. She has a small set of loyal fans, but not overwhelming popularity like Bayley/Becky/Sasha. She outright says she's more suited to playing a heel, but she never bothers to get heat when she plays that role and inevitably turns back face - where she comes across as too bratty and bitchy. And she doesn't play the tweener role as well as someone like Asuka either.

sky88

Fame most definitley went to her head and god knows whats really going on with her and del rio seems to be a toxic relationship although nothing has come out lately.

gerrybbadd

Rocky has announced that Vince Vaughn has been added to the production.

Some pretty big Hollywood names attached to this!

Bounty Hunter

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Rocky has announced that Vince Vaughn has been added to the production.

Some pretty big Hollywood names attached to this!

Thats pretty big imo because although his star has maybe waned somewhat his addition takes it away from being a British production (or at least that image given Heady, Frost & Merchant) with the Rock in a exec producer role and instead into just being a big production which could get bigger depending on who else is cast in it.

Very interesting how he is apparently rumored to be playing Jake Roberts

CSF

That is crazy. I really think they're overestimating people's interest in her story.

Monokne

I don't think they're banking on people's interest in the true story.

CSF

But I mean, that's the hook right? What sells the movie if not people's interest in the Paige story, be it factual or exaggerated.

ShagNastii

I think it will mostly likely go down the goofy route and play on the whole madness of the Knight family.

Probably give a heartfelt go home of Paige making the big time.

Monokne

The success of a film that has the involvement of Dwayne Johnson, Stephen Merchant and Vince Vaughan is not going to be dependant on how well people know or are interested in the story of a d level minor celebrity, whether she is the featured character or not. "Argo" was primarily about Tony Mendez, but I'd wager you'd never heard of him before that movie came out, right?

The movie will live or die based on the trailers they produce, the reviews they get and the word of mouth once it's mouth, like any other movie. IF it's a huge hit, Paige may benefit. But I don't believe it's being made with the idea "oh we'll get the roughly 1.5 million wrestling fans in the world who actually spend money on it to go and that'll make it a suceess".

CSF

I don't think Argo comparisons are remotely relevant. You don't have to be familiar with the guy involved to hear a brief blurb of that story and say 'oh that sounds interesting'.

Whereas I don't get how Paige's story is too interesting to anyone not heavily invested in the business, and even then lots of people are not going to give a f*ck.

sky88

With how popular the wrestler was I can see this being a success.

CSF

sky88 wrote: »

With how popular the wrestler was I can see this being a success.

If they can make it as good, and get the critical acclaim The Wrestler did, then yeah grand. The Rock, Stephen Merchant and Vince Vaughn isn't screaming out at that kind of movie, but who knows?

ERG89

Bounty Hunter wrote:

Thats pretty big imo because although his star has maybe waned somewhat.

You must be his agent or a big fan to be that kind.
His run on True Detective was something I was hoping to blank from my mind

ShagNastii

With the names involved you can guarantee it'll be a comedy/farce. I've a feeling you'll be talking along lines of Pain & Gain (gawd I wanted that movie to be better than it was) or Dodgeball-esque

The Wrestler was tonely perfect. Can't see this being its peer.

gerrybbadd

I thought Pain & Gain was brilliant!

sky88

CSF wrote: »

If they can make it as good, and get the critical acclaim The Wrestler did, then yeah grand. The Rock, Stephen Merchant and Vince Vaughn isn't screaming out at that kind of movie, but who knows?

Merchant helped write one of the most critically acclaimed shows in the last 20 years I think he can write a good script.