Courtesy of WWE.com:
WWE Studios announces Josh Gad and Ryan Dixon to pen ‘Gorgeous George’
LOS ANGELES – WWE Studios has announced that it will co-develop the George Raymond Wagner biopic “Gorgeous George” alongside Robert Halmi Jr.’s Great Point Media, with Josh Gad (“The Wedding Ringer,” “Frozen”) and longtime writing partner Ryan Dixon (“Opening Night”) set to pen the script.
“Gorgeous George” will chronicle the life and career of George Raymond Wagner (WWE Hall of Famer Gorgeous George), the legendary professional wrestler and sports entertainer credited with inspiring the flamboyant personas of everyone from Muhammad Ali to James Brown. Throughout his career, George reached staggering heights and brought joy to millions of fans with his onscreen promos and outrageous characters, ushering sports into the TV Age.
“Gorgeous George was a true pioneer in television,” said Michael Luisi, President of WWE Studios. “Josh is a true talent and we are thrilled to see him and Ryan tackle such a groundbreaking story.”
Gad recently wrapped production on the Disney film “Beauty and the Beast” opposite Emma Watson and Luke Evans. He will begin production in January on STX Entertainment’s “Russ and Roger” where he will play Roger Ebert, and in May he will lend his voice to the animated Sony movie “Angry Birds.” He was last seen starring in Sony’s “Pixels” opposite Adam Sandler and Kevin James, and earlier this year in the Screen Gems movie “The Wedding Ringer” with Kevin Hart. His other credits include Disney’s animated hit film “Frozen,” “Love and Other Drugs,” “The Internship, “Thanks for Sharing,” “The Comedians” and the hit Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon.”
WWE Studios will handle worldwide rights and will leverage WWE’s extensive platforms – including weekly TV shows, digital and social media and the WWE Network – to market this title.