Chris Jericho wants to bring the Painmaker to the big screen.
Jericho created the persona as a riff on Kazuchika Okada‘s ‘Rainmaker’ nickname when he was facing off against the star in NJPW.
He also uses the gimmick to showcase his more violent side and brought it to AEW when he clashed with Nick Gage in a No Rules Match at Dynamite: Fight For the Fallen in 2021.
In recent months, he has brought the character to the comic world with a four-issue miniseries which portrays the Painmaker as a serial killer who is also a pro wrestler.
Chris Jericho wants to make a Painmaker movie
During an interview on The Rick & Cutter Show, Jericho said he created the character because he was tired of the Marvel and DC Superheroes that have been popular in recent years.
He then went a step further, saying he wants to put the character on the big screen.
“I just put out a comic book for a character that I played in Japan called the Painmaker.
“It’s a wrestling character that I made a comicbook character with the endgame being a Painmaker movie because I’m sick of Batman, Superman, Spider-Man movies.
“Sooner or later, someone has to create a new superhero, so I created this Painmaker character. ‘You want to do a movie?’ Yeah, I’m going to do a movie. What do you think about that?
While Marvel and DC movies dominate the industry, Jericho went on to say that he has the confidence to make it work.
“You just get the confidence to know there is always a way to make things work if you believe in it and want to do it, then go do it.
“Don’t make excuses why it’s not going to happen, find out the reasons how you can make it work and then make it go happen.”
The Painmaker is just one of many gimmicks Jericho has had over the years, leading to him being seen as a master of reinvention. Recently, he revealed the inspiration behind another popular aspect of his character, the iconic ‘List of Jericho’.
H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.