Tweet
Double E Pictures buys life story of UFC's Rich Franklin for "American Fighter" movie
If all goes well, former UFC champion Rich Franklin's life story will soon be the basis of a Hollywood feature film.
Eric Eisner today announced that his Double E Pictures has optioned Franklin's life story for a film and commissioned David Hollander to write a script and Mathew Cullen of Motion Theory to executive produce.
"I'm excited to see the story of my career as a fighter brought to the screen, and I feel confident that the team assembled will do a great job in telling this story," Franklin stated in today's official release.
According to today's press release, "American Fighter" will tell "the unlikely story of how Franklin, a family man and high school math teacher, taught himself mixed martial arts, quickly emerged as one of the dominant figures in the sport, and ultimately became champion of the UFC. The story also chronicles the rise of mixed martial arts as the fastest growing sport in the world and transformation into a billion-dollar industry."
"I'm happy to be in business with Sean and Motion Theory and look forward to working with David to capture the story of Rich's remarkable life," Eisner stated. "This is a truly inspirational story that we are excited to tell."
Franklin, of course, has long been praised for his journey from math teacher to UFC middleweight champion. His career began as a hobby, and self-taught skills in a backyard shed quickly developed into world-class talent. Along the way, Franklin has remained one of the sport's most-respected and most-praised athletes as a consummate professional both in and out of the cage.
Eisner, the son of longtime Disney CEO Michael Eisner, is the founder and CEO of Double E Pictures. His first feature, "Hamlet 2" was acquired for $10 million following a successful run at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Hollander is best known as a writer for a handful of TV series, including "The Cleaner," "Heartland" and "The Guardian."