A documentary about Eddie Hall, the strongman and “Expendables 4” actor, has been acquired for worldwide theatrical release and streaming by sports media company Generation Iron.
“Taming The Beast – The Emptiness Within” is a feature-length doc from Switzerland-based Jeridoo Universe about British strongman Hall.
“The film follows Hall, the world’s strongest man, as he learns how to embrace his mental health challenges by confronting his inner demons and dealing with his biggest failure to date, which ultimately changes his life,” reads the logline. “The film explores Hall’s struggles with depression and mental health and brings to light how famous athletes and celebrities struggle with these challenges.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone make cameos in the documentary as they offer Hall both mentorship and friendship. Actor Gabriel Luna (“The Last of Us”) and boxer Katie Luna also appear in the film.
Hall, who set a world record dead lift in 2016, lifting 500 kg (1,100 lb), is a retired strongman and 2017 winner of the World’s Strongest Man competition. As well as the “Expendables” franchise he is set to appear in “Winter’s Inferno” and “Romeo.” He also hosts YouTube channel Eddie Hall The Beast, which boasts almost 3 million subscribers.
Chris Michael Fretwell and Josias Tschanz directed the doc with help from second unit director Matt Bell (“Terminator 6”). Ali Faharani is director of photography while Mike Jackson is lead editor.
The film was executive produced by Guido Baechler alongside Generation Iron’s co-founders Edwin Mejia Jr. and Vlad Yudin.
“Our goal with this important documentary is to shine the spotlight on how our mental health dramatically influences our physical health,” said Mejia. “Eddie Hall’s story is one of perseverance and hope, and our wish is to help people who are struggling with mental health issues, offering some guidance on how to weather life’s storms.”
Yudin added: “This important documentary, set to premiere early next year, was a long time in the making, facing the challenges of filming during the pandemic. We’re very happy to bring Eddie’s story to audiences worldwide.”
New York-based Generation Iron are a digital media and publishing company specializing in fitness, strength sports and MMA/boxing among other topics. Their distribution and production partner is Yudin’s The Vladar Company, which in particular focuses on niche sports genre content.
