With Chris Hemsworth and Todd Phillips‘s untitled Hulk Hogan biopic officially scrapped, WWE fans are left searching for a new wrestling-related film to look forward to. But it seems they may have already found the perfect alternative—Kieran Culkin taking on the role of CM Punk in a biopic. Given Punk’s rollercoaster journey through the wrestling and MMA worlds, his story is packed with enough drama, triumphs, and controversies to make for an unforgettable film. Could this be the next big wrestling movie Hollywood needs?
Why WWE Superstars Deserve More Biopics
From wrestlers-turned-actors to the usual buzzkill commenting on how “wrestling is fake,” the world of the WWE superstars and Hollywood has always been closely related. Some of today’s most renowned celebrities hail from the small-screen spectacles of Wrestlemania, including Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista. But what happens behind the glam of mainstream wrestling?
Considering how influential WWE superstars have been in pop culture, it’s surprising that there are so few biopics made about their rise to the top (I’m still waiting for my Macho Man Randy Savage biopic, by the way.) Still, some wrestlers are so influential, that their lives deserve to be turned into a biopic – even if they’re still far from retirement.
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Could Kieran Culkin Play CM Punk in a WWE Biopic?
This week, at Monday Night RAW, fans got a glimpse of a possible biopic in the making. Fresh off his Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Male Actor, Kieran Culkin celebrated by attending the WWE event. Ringside, he met with the one and only CM Punk, after his outstanding win against Seth Rollins. Immediately, wrestling fans noticed how similar Culkin and Punk looked. Nearly every comment on WWE’s Instagram post and Reddit pointed out that Kieran looked just like the superstar – albeit a tad shorter. Some commenters even acknowledged that now would be the best time for Kieran Culkin to flirt with the idea of working on a CM Punk biopic.
Why CM Punk’s Story Make for a Must-Watch Biopic
Now, something that could stand between fans and their dream biopic is the fact that Punk and Culkin are nearly the same age. Punk is only four years older than Culkin. When you think of biopics, most of them deal with the early lives of their protagonists. However, age isn’t a limitation for what a CM Punk biopic could be about. For all we know, they could go the Weird Al’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story route and do an entirely unique story featuring Punk. This is the WWE we’re talking about, after all.
With the WWE and Netflix now closer than ever, we might be seeing more films and TV series related to the legendary wrestling brand. You know, besides things like Mr. McMahon. Biopics for some of the most notorious wrestlers in the industry sound like a likely bet, especially after shows like Glow proved there’s a healthy market for scripted wrestling content.
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Kieran Culkin’s Hollywood Hot Streak
Kieran Culkin is at the top of the world right now. After his well-deserved Golden Globe win for A Real Pain, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pop up in more and more projects soon. Could a biopic be among those upcoming projects? Most certainly, although we’ll have to wait and see if Culkin begins working more closely with Netflix.
For now, at least, WWE fans have that video of Culkin and Punk standing ringside, looking like two long-lost brothers who just reunited (probably because of their powerful love for all things Pepsi.) Who knows? Maybe this chance encounter will spark something bigger. After all, stranger things have happened in the WWE. Remember when that guy from The Battle of the Billionaires became president twice? Yeah, that was a wild ride.
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Tell us, would you like to see Kieran Culkin play CM Punk in a biopic?
