She may be on hiatus from the WWE but that hasn’t stopped Paige being the focus of a Hollywood film.
The 24-year-old Norwich born wrestler (real name Saraya-Jade Bevis) and two-time WWE Divas Champion will soon be the subject of a new feature film based on the 2012 Channel 4 documentary about her wrestling mad family, entitled ‘Fighting With the Family.’
Produced by Dwayne Johnson, known famously in wrestling and TV circles as ‘The Rock’, the film will look at the struggles faced by the Bevis family while on the not-very lucrative professional UK wrestling circuit. The movie will feature the ‘Anti-Diva’s breakthrough into the hugely popular WWE.
The family, headed by patriarch and former gangster Ian Bevis, also features ex-British wrestler and wife Julia AKA Sweet Saraya and brothers Roy Bevis and Zaz Zodiac.
The film came about after The Rock watched the documentary while filming Fast & Furious 6 in London. Speaking of his admiration for the project on Instagram, Mr. Johnson said:
“While shooting Fast & Furious in London, I was up at 3am and stumbled upon a documentary about a local wrestling family and their daughter’s unlikely journey into the global spotlight. That daughter is current WWE Women’s Superstar Paige. The family strong element I saw in the documentary is what grabbed my attention. That no matter how crazy life gets, no matter how dysfunctional our families can sometimes be and especially regardless of how much we fight – we’re always there for each other when it counts.
My gut said there was a great movie to be made so I sent to my agent Brad Slater at WME who loved it. He sent it to my long time ace producer Kevin Misher, who immediately responded to the documentary and he thought we should go after one of our favourite writers for material like this, Stephen Merchant. Being from the UK, locked in to a strong POV and vision of how gritty and heartfelt this film needs to be and the rest is history.
Paige and I both know what it’s like to come from a wrestling family who’s had its good and hard times. Her and I have talked about this project for years now and we’re all excited to bring her and her family’s story to life.”
Paige, who often uses her finishing move, The Ram-Paige, to good effect, has had a very tumultuous time in the WWE. Shocking the world by winning the Diva’s Championship against AJ Lee on her very first night and becoming the youngest ever champion, the Norwich-born wrestler had several major feuds with the aforementioned Lee, Nikki Bella and Naomi.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the Englishwoman though; she’s suffered many injuries over the years and has more recently been involved in several suspensions due to violations of the WWE’s wellness policy. In fact, most recently on October 10, 2016, Paige was suspended for a second time and WWE have since issued a statement that she has ‘tested positive for an illegal substance, not a prescription drug.’ She vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
Florence Pugh will play Paige, while War & Peace star Jack Lowden will play brother Zac. British actor Nick Frost, most famous for his roles alongside Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Paul, is also lined up to feature in the film, alongside Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey.
The film hasn’t had an official release date yet but it will well be worth a watch, for both wrestling aficionados and general movie-goers alike.
Leave a Reply