A beloved sports drama based on a groundbreaking British wrestler’s real life is stepping into a new arena: pro wrestling story *Fighting With My Family*, first released as a 2019 feature film starring Florence Pugh and Dwayne Johnson, is officially being reimagined as a full stage musical, producers have confirmed.
The original film traces the extraordinary true journey of Saraya Knight, the UK-born pro wrestler best known by her in-ring alias Paige, as she climbs the ranks of professional wrestling to land a coveted spot in the global WWE organization. Johnson, whose own production studio is partnering on the stage project, says the underdog story feels custom-built for live theater. Looking back on his experience making the film with original director Stephen Merchant, Johnson called the collaboration a truly special project, adding that Merchant’s sharp, heartfelt work more than deserves this exciting new chapter.
The narrative traces all the way back to a 2012 Channel 4 documentary, *The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family*, which followed Paige, her brother, and her two parents – all third-generation professional wrestlers. In the ring, her father Patrick performs as “Rowdy” Ricky Knight, while her Julia has taken on multiple personas, most notably Sweet Saraya – the name the couple also passed down to their daughter.
The adaptation is being led by Tilted Musicals, the production company founded by hit Girls Aloud songwriter Miranda Cooper and veteran theater producer Sam Hodges. Cooper told BBC News the creative team is building the musical to resonate far beyond wrestling fans, noting that the world of pro wrestling is inherently theatrical. “You’ve got your heroes and villains, it’s all built on storytelling, and every performer steps into a larger-than-life version of themselves in the ring,” she explained. Beyond the in-ring action, though, Cooper pointed out that the story’s core themes of family, community, and belonging make it perfect for the stage. “These are wonderfully unconventional characters, but the love that binds them is at the heart of everything,” she added.
The idea for the musical originated with playwright Jon Brittain, who will pen the stage book, with original songs composed by Cooper and long-time collaborator Nick Coler. The pair are best known as core members of iconic songwriting collective Xenomania, which penned chart-topping hits for artists including Sugababes, Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys and Girls Aloud.
In the 2019 film, Pugh portrayed Paige as a sharp-tongued goth outsider growing up in a chaotic but deeply loving wrestling-focused working-class family in Norwich, England. Her life shifts dramatically when she earns a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train with WWE in the United States, leaving her family and her brother’s own wrestling dreams behind. Along the way, Paige and her brother Zak meet Johnson – who played a fictionalized version of himself in the film, offering the aspiring wrestlers career guidance. For long-time fans, the casting was particularly fitting: Johnson rose to global fame as pro wrestling icon The Rock before transitioning to his blockbuster A-list acting career.
Hodges shared that original film director Merchant has supported the project from its earliest days, calling his enthusiasm and generosity invaluable to the adaptation. “He’s shared cut scripts that never made it into the final film, his personal footage of meeting the Knight family, so much behind-the-scenes insight that’s making this project so much richer,” Hodges said. Merchant himself noted that he always envisioned the story as a musical even while filming the movie. “When I was making the film, I always thought of it like a musical: a young woman from the background fighting to get her big break, surrounded by theatrical, larger-than-life characters and huge sweeping emotions,” he explained. “I approached each wrestling match like it was a different dance number, building to a big show-stopping finale. Seeing the film reimagined for the stage feels like the natural next step.”
Cooper, who says she feels both excited and challenged by the project, shared that the creative team has worked closely with the Knight family to craft a score that reflects their vibrant, one-of-a-kind personalities. “Centre stage we have Saraya, who is this mouthy, irreverent outsider, complicated, flawed, and it’s her journey of realising all those attributes are the things that make her really special,” Cooper said. “We’ve been speaking to her and she is awesome.” The creative team is leaning into the family’s signature punk energy, but plans to move beyond the generic pub-rock sound often associated with wrestling to create an eclectic, unique score. “Early writing sessions started off referencing Britpop, because they are a quintessentially British family, but the influences quickly began evolving,” Cooper explained. “We’re looking at everything from Chemical Brothers to Propellerheads, drum and bass, all iconic British sounds. We want a soundtrack that reflects all these multi-faceted characters that are unique and extraordinary.”
The adaptation arrives at a moment of shifting momentum for professional wrestling globally: in 2023, media group Endeavor purchased WWE and installed new leadership, with plans to build a sprawling, Marvel-style franchise around the brand. At the same time, streaming giant Netflix recently secured exclusive UK broadcast rights to WWE content, bringing pro wrestling back to mainstream British television for the first time in 25 years. “It’s an interesting moment for people’s access to wrestling and their relationship with it in this country,” Hodges noted.
While the original 2019 film has earned a loyal cult fanbase, it never achieved blockbuster box office success, so the creative team is approaching the musical as an entirely original work rather than relying on existing film fans to sell tickets. “We’re not assuming people have seen the movie, so we’re building the show’s identity from the ground up to welcome all audiences,” Hodges said.
The musical will begin additional workshop development later this year, with the creative team targeting the first full public performances in 2027. In a final statement, Johnson shared his optimism for the project, saying he has “no doubt it will be an absolute blast for theatergoers”. He added that the story is “packed with personal emotion expressed through the dynamic world of wrestling, which has always been about storytelling and connecting with a live audience.”