Macho Man Randy Savage biopic in development at Artists for Artists

Artists for Artists, the production company co‑owned by Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson and Johnny Ryan Jr., is developing a feature biopic of wrestling legend Macho Man Randy Savage, the company said this week. The project, currently titled Macho, will be based on a completed script by Savage’s brother Lanny Poffo and screenwriter Eric Shapiro, executives said, and will be produced by Thompson and Ryan Jr. alongside Paul Coy Allen of Midas Entertainment Group. Range Select is set to handle sales for the project.

The script originated with Lanny Poffo, who died in February 2023, and the filmmakers said they intend to use his perspective in telling Savage’s story. Jonathon Davino of Immaculate, Cory Litwin, Boris Shvarts and Monica Weber are listed as executive producers, and the production company is represented by Range Media Partners. No cast, director, distribution plan or production timeline has been announced, and reports indicate that WWE and its parent company are not currently attached to the film.

Thompson and Ryan Jr. described the project as a labor of fandom. Ryan Jr. said Savage was the greatest showman of all time and the OG bad boy of entertainment, adding...