AEW
David Benoit Finally Explains Why His Family Shut Down the Chris Benoit’s Film
Crossface, the planned biopic about notorious pro wrestler and double murderer Chris Benoit, has been shelved. According to Benoit’s son David, who has pro wrestling ambitions of his own, the movie was scrapped after the Benoit family saw the screenplay.
David Benoit, who came from Chris’ first marriage to Martina
As explained by David in a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, the filmmakers needed the family’s permission to move forward with the Chris Benoit project, but the Benoits rejected the proposal as the movie would have depicted the infamous tragedy.
“There was a director, everything bro. We had to step in because they wanted to do the tragedy about how it all went down. So we said no,” David explains, adding that the Benoit family even hired a lawyer to assist in getting the project shut down.
He added: “They needed our permission. She sent us the script and then the end was the whole murder/suicide was gonna be all in it. We said no.”
Making it clear that having portraying the details of the tragedy on the big screen was off the table, David also says that the family wouldn’t be opposed to seeing a new documentary about his father getting made, noting he has lots of home video footage to offer.
News of the biopic dates all the way back to 2011 when the movie was first announced. Using Matthew Randazzo V’s book Ring of Hell as a source of inspiration, the movie would have followed Benoit’s life, career, and death with Liev Schreiber rumored to play Benoit.
Alex A. Ginzburg and Tony Lee were also set to produce with Ram Getz and Matthew Randazzo V executive producing.
In 2016, the movie took another step forward by signing on Punisher: War Zone helmer Lexi Alexander to direct using a screenplay co-written by Jake Goldberger and Sarah Coulter.
No new updates on the project’s status have since been given by those involved, but now it’s clear why.