The Hulk Hogan vs Gawker court case looks to be getting the movie treatment as sources tell Deadline that Gus Van Sant is in early talks to direct the pic Killing Gawker with Artists Equity producing. Artist Equity co-founders Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are producing but not attached to star at this time.
Artists Equity had no comment.
The film is based on a script by Charles Randolph and the book Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday. The book details the landmark 2016 court case in which Hogan won a $140 million judgment against Gawker Media, its founder Nick Denton and one of its editors.
Following the ruling, Gawker shut down operations. It would relaunch in 2021 under the ownership of Bustle Digital Group, after founder and CEO Bryan Goldberg bought the website’s assets for $1.35 million in a 2018 bankruptcy auction.
If a deal for Van Sant closes, it would reunite him with Affleck and Damon, whose careers were launched after Van Sant directed them in Good Will Hunting. The film won Damon and Affleck the Oscar for Original Screenplay.
The InSneider Newsletter was the first to report Van Sant’s involvement.
