EXCLUSIVE: Artists for Artists, the production company of Kenan Thompson and Johnny Ryan Jr., is developing a feature biopic on iconic wrestler “Macho Man” Randy Savage, we can tell you first.
Thompson and Ryan Jr. come to the project, titled Macho, as lifelong fans of Savage — Thompson, having worked with Savage on a Nickelodeon promo all the way back in 1999. The project stems from a completed script by Savage’s brother Lanny Poffo — who died in February 2023 — and Eric Shapiro.
Thompson and Ryan Jr. will produce alongside Paul Coy Allen of Midas Entertainment Group, with Jonathon Davino (Immaculate), Cory Litwin, Boris Shvarts, and Monica Weber exec producing. Range Select will handle sales on the project.
Born Randy Mario Poffo, “Macho Man” Randy Savage was one of the most influential figures in professional wrestling, from the ’70s through the early 2000s. The son of wrestler and wrestling promoter Angelo Poffo, he initially chased a baseball career, even spending time in the farm systems of the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. But after a shoulder injury derailed those ambitions, he redirected his athletic drive toward wrestling, adopting the name “Macho Man” in the ring.
Starting in the mid-1970s, Savage carved a path through regional promotions, sharpening a larger-than-life persona with which he’d go on to captivate audiences worldwide. He signed with the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in the mid ’80s and later brought his trademark intensity to World Championship Wrestling, being named World Heavyweight Champion six times over the course of his decades in both.
Largely stepping back from wrestling in the early 2000s, Savage died of a sudden heart attack while driving in Florida, at just 58 years old, in May 2011. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. While his life story has been documented in specials from the WWE, as well as in A+E’s Biography: WWE Legends and miscellaneous other books and documentary projects, it’s never been told in the form of a narrative feature, until now.
In a statement to Deadline, AFA‘s Ryan Jr. said, “Macho man Randy Savage was the greatest showman of all time and the OG bad boy of entertainment. His outfits were as electric as his personality and he’s so much more than an artist, he’s an icon. Lanny and Eric did a great job capturing this story and the crazy 80s wrestling era that turnt wrestling figures into life long pop culture icons.”
Ryan Jr.’s partner Thompson told us, “Beyond excited for this one!! Macho Man is hands down one of the greatest of all time and can’t wait to bring his story to the screen!!!”
Said Midas Entertainment Group’s Allen, “Some stories come once in a lifetime, not just to be told, but to ignite. MACHO is one of those rare stories that electrifies across generations. We are honored to partner up with AFA and Range Media to share Randy’s story with the world.”
News of AFA’s Macho Man movie follows word of their developing a remake of Sleepaway Camp, the cult classic ’80s slasher from filmmaker Robert Hiltzik, who is back to direct from his own script. Emmy-nominated for Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson, the company has moved to aggressively expand its film and TV slate several years into its existence, as Thompson continues to juggle his commitment to Saturday Night Live with his other projects.
AFA is repped by Range Media Partners.