Jason Winer, a director of episodes of shows like Modern Family and Life in Pieces, has become attached to Gawker v. Thiel – a feature about the Hulk Hogan sex tape lawsuit which caused the shutdown of online gossip site Gawker.
The film will center on the fall of the controversial media company and the man that helped bring it down – venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
Hogan, the former wrestling superstar, filmed a sexual encounter with a friend’s wife which Gawker got a hold of and published. Hogan sued the site with the help of Thiel who used$10 million of his own money into several cases including Hogan’s as a way to get back at Gawker who published an article outing Thiel as gay bin 2007.
Hogan ended up winning $140 million in damages which led to Gawker filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.
The film won’t be a courtroom drama, the case wont’t even be in the forefront of the film. The focus instead will be on the major players like Gawker founder Nick Denton, article publisher A.J. Daulerio, and Thiel himself.
Neil Meron and Craig Zadan are producing.
