ESPN Exile Bill Simmons Is Making an Andre the Giant Documentary for HBO
This is going to be HUGE.
Bill Simmons is aiming to body-slam his old bosses at ESPN with an awesome HBO documentary about legendary wrestler Andre the Giant.
The creator of the now-shuttered Grantland site and the ESPN sports documentary series 30 For 30 has reportedly enlisted Emmy-winning director Jonathan Hock to make an HBO doc on the gargantuan grappler who was one of the greatest pro wrestlers of the 1980s.
The 7-foot-4, 500 pound Frenchman battled the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy “Macho Man” Savage in the ring, and played Fezzik in the 1987 cult comedyThe Princess Bride. BornAndré Roussimoff, he was also renowned for Herculean feats of drinking, like guzzling 156 beers in one sitting and 16 bottles of wine only hours before wrestling in a 20-man battle royale.
In 2000, Andre was immortalized for a new generation with those popular Obey Giant stickers by street artist Shepard Fairey, who later became famous for his Obama “Hope” posters.
The New York Post reports that Hock, whose 30 For 30 credits include specials about the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey team and football phenom Marcus Dupree, is among the talent that followed Simmons from ESPN to his new gig at HBO.
Simmons came to ESPN in 2001, but was fired in May after clashing with ESPN brass in the wake of his suspension for calling NFL commissioner Roger Goodell “a liar” over Deflategate. He recently signed a “multi-year, multi-platform” deal with HBO, where he plans to host a weekly series beginning in 2016.
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