Kenan Thompson’s production company Artists For Artists is developing the first-ever narrative feature film about wrestling legend “Macho Man” Randy Savage, according to an exclusive report from Deadline.
The Saturday Night Live star and his partner Johnny Ryan Jr. are producing “Macho,” based on a completed script by Savage’s late brother Lanny Poffo and Eric Shapiro. Poffo, who died in February 2023, co-wrote the screenplay as a tribute to his iconic sibling.
Thompson brings a personal connection to the project, having worked with Savage on a Nickelodeon promotional campaign back in 1999. The nostalgic collaboration sparked Thompson’s longtime admiration for the wrestling superstar.
“Macho man Randy Savage was the greatest showman of all time and the OG bad boy of entertainment,” Ryan Jr. was quoted. “His outfits were as electric as his personality and he’s so much more than an artist, he’s an icon.”
Thompson expressed his enthusiasm, stating he’s “beyond excited” to bring Savage’s story to the big screen, calling him “hands down one of the greatest of all time.”
Randy Savage’s Legacy
Born Randy Mario Poffo, Savage became one of wrestling’s most influential figures from the 1970s through early 2000s. After a shoulder injury ended his baseball aspirations with the Cardinals and Reds farm systems, he redirected his athletic drive toward wrestling, eventually becoming a six-time World Heavyweight Champion.
Savage died suddenly of a heart attack at age 58 in May 2011 and was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. While his life has been featured in documentaries and WWE specials, this marks the first narrative feature film adaptation of his remarkable story.