Are we dreaming? Is the WWE really going to be one of the busiest production companies
in the coming years? The wrestling staple already has two features in the can this year alone, now to be followed up by a third, Big Red, says Variety.
Even more shocking is that they seem to have been able to swindle legit actors into carrying their films, a responsibility that until now has been dumped squarely on the shoulders of wrestlers whose only acting experience is the soap opera of the WWE. The “production company” recently hired Ed Harris, who might just be their biggest name to date, to topline Big Red, along with his wife Amy Madigan on board to support him. No word on if the real-life couple will play significant others in the film.
Big Red is a middle-school drama set in the mid-60’s which follows a teacher (Harris) whose life is changed by a fearless outcast named Stanley. The resident WWE meathead who most definitely will knock the film’s credibility down a few pegs will be Randy Orton, playing the father of the school bully who attempts to get Harris fired.
As much as it sounds like the WWE is making a valid effort to turn themselves into an honest-to-goodness production company, it’s still nearly impossible to take them seriously. The few movies they’ve shot this year sound like they could be worth a watch until you see that one of their payrolled muscle monsters has been shoehorned into a supporting role, if not a lead. I won’t count them out just yet, but after The Marine, it’s hard to expect anything better
