Whatever happened to the TV spin-off of Tom Hardy’s movie ‘Warrior’?
Warrior (2011) is a fight film recognized as a ‘cult classic’ by MMA fans. The film pits two estranged brothers, played by Tom Hardy (Venom, Mad Max: Fury Road) and Joel Edgerton (The Gift), against each other in a $5M winner-take-all MMA tournament called ‘Sparta’.
A decade after its theatrical release, director Gavin O’Connor (The Accountant, The Accountant 2) has written a script for a spinoff series titled ‘Warriors’, which would focus on four fighters and their life battles in and out of the cage.
In 2022, former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier was initially set for a lead role in the project, but Warriors still has yet to take off, years later in 2025.
One of the original film’s main cast has spoken out on where it’s currently at.
Frank Grillo says ‘Warrior’ spinoff series is ‘getting resistance’
In Warrior, Frank Grillo (Superman, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) played the role of Frank Campagna, Brendan Conlon’s renowned MMA coach.
A friend of director Gavin O’Connor, Grillo says he’d reprise his role as coach Campagna in a heartbeat—if the show ever comes to fruition.
“I think he’s getting resistance on it,” Grillo told former UFC champion Matt Serra about O’Connor’s planned Warriors series.
“I think he’s having a problem getting it up on its feet.
“I know he’s had some struggles with it of late. The movie business and the TV business is in a weird place. Really, really weird. Difficult times,” Grillo said.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warriors was initially set up at Paramount+ and then HBO Max, with both streaming services dropping out mid-development.
Still, Grillo is hopeful about Warriors.
“With the success of The Accountant 2, Gavin has catapulted into that A-list category. He’s made Ben Affleck really relevant again. And so he’s got those guys on his side. I think Gavin’s gonna be okay.
“I would show up for Gavin because I owe Gavin a lot. I love Gavin as a filmmaker. And I would go and do whatever he wanted me to do, and we’ve spoken about it.
“I go, bubba, whatever you need, when you bring Frank Campagna back into that world, whatever you need, just let me know,” Grillo said of potentially reprising his role in Warriors.
Frank Grillo reacts to ‘The Rock’ playing Mark Kerr in ‘The Smashing Machine’
In other movie news, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is set to play the role of UFC legend Mark Kerr in the new A24 biopic ‘The Smashing Machine’.
The WWE superstar-turned-actor received positive reviews after the film’s first trailer, which leaves Johnson almost unrecognizable with facial prosthetics.
Johnson has taken much criticism for being ‘type-casted’ or playing similar characters in his past movies.
Grillo comments on Johnson taking on ‘The Smashing Machine’ Mark Kerr.
“I hope ‘The Rock’, who I love, I hope he does a good job and he sheds ‘The Rock’ and he can become Mark Kerr because it’s a great person to get to play,” Grillo said.
The Smashing Machine hits theaters on Oct. 3, 2025.