WWE Star Paige’s ‘Fighting With My Family’ Biopic Movie Being Adapted Into Stage Musical

Published: 21 minutes ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 9 seconds ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

WWE Star Paige’s ‘Fighting With My Family’ Biopic Movie Being Adapted Into Stage Musical

Having returned at WWE WrestleMania 42, Paige is now not only a champion once again, but is about to become the subject of a stage musical.

Paige returned during night one of WrestleMania 42 on April 18, teaming with Brie Bella, with the pair becoming WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.

With her early life and WWE career having been turned into the 2019 movie Fighting With My Family, itself inspired by an earlier documentary, it has now been revealed that the story is heading to the theater.

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Stephen Merchant are adapting Fighting With My Family into a stage musical.

Johnson and Merchant produced the original movie, with the latter also writing the script, while the musical will see Olivier Award-winning playwright Jon Brittain (Rotterdam, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!) create the book and lyrics for the upcoming musical, which will feature a soundtrack by singer-songwriter Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler.

The movie, which was produced by Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, WWE Studios, among others, charted Paige’s life as a member of the Knight family in the British wrestling scene and her journey to being a WWE star in her own right, contrasted with the experiences of her brother, Zak.

Addressing the announcement of the musical adaptation, Paige would share her thoughts in a tweet that reads:

“Surprise!!! @FightingWMyFam is being turned into a MUSICAL!!!!

“Can’t believe how much impact my movie has made, and I’m so honored it’ll be put on the big stage 🥹❤️”

The Rock would also comment on the musical, having previously demonstrated vocal skills of his own in Disney’s Moana and its sequel, saying:

“It’s packed with personal emotion expressed through the dynamic world of wrestling, which has always been about storytelling and connecting with a live audience.

“Working with Stephen Merchant on the film was a truly special experience, and his brilliant work deserves this new act. As it comes to life musically, I have no doubt it will be an absolute blast for theatergoers.”

Starring Florence Pugh as Saraya, the star who would go on to be Paige in WWE, and Jack Lowden as Zak Knight, the 2019 movie would also star Nick Frost and Lena Headey as Ricky and Julia (herself known as Sweet Saraya), the parents of both young wrestling stars.

The “Fighting With My Family” musical is set to have its public premiere in 2027, with workshops taking place later this year.

Not Just For Wrestling Fans

“Fighting With My Family” was a success outside of the audience one might expect to be interested in a British film about a wrestling family, even one produced by Dwayne Johnson and WWE Studios, and starring Lena Headey, who had shot to greater prominence as Cersei Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones.

The casting was spot on, as was the writing, thanks to the script from one of the writers of the British sitcom The Office, yet it could have still fallen by the wayside, released in a month that saw The Lego Movie 2 dominate at the box office. While that movie would take $85,060,040 in February 2019, earning it the top spot for the month, Fighting With My Family would do a respectable $10,254,621, securing the number 15 entry for the period, according to Box Office Mojo, with a total domestic gross of $22,958,886 ($41,503,392, worldwide) during its entire run on a budget of $11,000,000.

The British sensibilities were on display in the movie underpinning a story of opportunities, conflict and hope, with that same approach having driven Billy Elliott and The Full Monty to similar success and critical praise. It’s hardly surprising that both of those movies have gone on to even greater international appeal as musicals.

The Fighting With My Family musical is in safe hands under Jon Brittain, with the dedication that Merchant has shown to the story as apparent today as it was when he first put pen to paper. It can’t be overstated how influential the bankable star that is The Rock was in driving the movie forward, with that likely to be reflected in the stage production.

A very British story with a focus on wrestling, dealing with all the family drama and humor that such a life presents, Fighting With My Family certainly stands a good chance of winning over an audience much, much larger than just fans of the squared circle.