Netflix is surging ahead with its extravagant spending on new movies at the Sundance Film Festival 2017. It has recently acquired rights for Nobody Speak: Hulk Hogan, Gawker and Trials of a Free Press.
This legal documentary focuses on the lawsuit filed by semi-retired professional wrestler Terry Gene Bollea, more commonly known by his ring name, Hulk Hogan.
Bollea filed the suit against Gawker Media, who managed the Gawker website. Bollea sued the media house after they published a sex tape involving him and Heather Clem.
Who Is Terry Gene Bollea?
Bollea or Hulk Hogan, is touted as the world's greatest sports entertainer. He has achieved massive fame and recognition during his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
He is WWE's most popular and best-selling wrestler and boasted capabilities of getting the entire crowd in attendance behind him.
The WWE, however, severed all ties with Hogan after the sex tape scandal exploded.
The Background
Bollea had committed sexual acts with Clem while being videotaped without his knowledge or consent in 2012. Bollea claimed that he did not know that he was being recorded.
Clem's husband, Bubba The Love Sponge had secretly recorded the act and on Oct. 4. 2012, Gawker released a portion of the video online on its website. The video comprised 10 seconds of explicit sexual content.
What WasThe Lawsuit All About?
The lawsuit Bollea v. Gawker was filed by Bollea where he claimed invasion of privacy, infringement of personal rights, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Bollea's lawyers had stated that the lawsuit could help secure the privacy of many Americans like him. Gawker, on the other hand, asserted that the case had put the freedom of the press at stake.
The documentary's rights being claimed by Netflix comes in the wake of several such similar expansions. The company has targeted documentary films, comedies and other specialized genres, in an attempt to stay a step ahead of its rivals.
Nobody Speak can be viewed alongside two of the other documentary films which Netflix acquired at Sundance 2017, namely Casting JonBenet and Chasing Coral. The former focuses on the killing of JonBenet Ramsey, whereas the latter is based on climate change.
Apart from documentaries, Netflix has also grabbed rights for feature presentations, including Tallulah, Fun Mom Night and The Incredible Jessica James.
The Hulk Hogan documentary will allow viewers to get a detailed insight into the scandal, which caused much damage to Bollea's image.
Netflix has played a master stroke by acquiring the rights for this documentary, as everyone will be interested in getting a glimpse into the private life of the iconic wrestler.
Photo: Mike Kalasnik | Flickr
