The fate of Owen Hart just might be the most tragic tale in the history of professional wrestling, and the late wrestler’s story will be told in a new documentary. Simply called Owen, the project will be shopped by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution at the Cannes virtual market. Jo Lewis will direct the doc, with Owen produced by Keaton Stone and Western Edge Pictures through Vaughan Sivell. Hart’s widow, Dr. Martha Hart, will also executive produce alongside Kaleidoscope CEO Spencer Pollard and Lee Brazier.
This news comes hot off the heels of Owen having a portion of his life story explored in the popular Vice TV series Dark Side of the Ring, which highlights some of the darkest stories in wrestling history. The Owen episode served as the season finale for the show’s second season, pulling in the highest ratings for the docu-series to date. It was compelling television, but it felt like there was still so much of Hart’s story still left unexplored in that short hour of television. A feature length doc will help showcase even more of the man Hart was outside of the wrestling world.
Owen is said to feature exclusive new interviews with Hart’s family and friends, such as his brother and fellow wrestling legend Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Previously unseen archival family footage will also be included in the doc, and other names associated with the world of wrestling will be announced as a part of the movie in the months ahead. Along with Bret and Martha Hart, the Dark Side of the Ring special featured interviews with Owen’s former wrestling manager Jim Cornette and former WWE Superstar Charles “The Godfather” Wright, who was scheduled to wrestle Hart on the night of his death.
What makes Owen Hart’s death particularly tragic is how he did not abuse drugs or steroids like many of his contemporaries, and yet a tragic accident would still cut his life way too short. Set to compete for a World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) pay-per-view in 1999, Hart was scheduled to make a dramatic entrance from the ceiling in a superhero-like fashion. Without warning, the safety equipment failed, sending Hart careening dozens of feet into the wrestling ring below. Responding medical personnel tried desperately to save his life, but Hart died from his injuries soon after the fall at the age of 34.
Fans who remember Hart from his wrestling days can only see more of Owen through documentaries like Owen and the Dark Side of the Ring episode. As the late wrestler’s widow does not want WWE to make any more money from Owen, she has disallowed the wrestler to be featured in the WWE Hall of Fame, nor will the family approve of using Owen’s likeness for action figures and video games. Still, Owen’s work as a WWE wrestler can be seen by subscribers on WWE Network, so fans can always relive the glory days of “The King of Harts” by watching his classic matches. This news comes to us from Screen Daily.
