American Gladiators jumping to the big screen?

Johnny Ferraro of Flor-Jon Films, the creator of the American Gladiators TV franchise, has announced the development of a motion picture based on the world of American Gladiators, targeted for a 2011 release.

The project will be produced by Scott Mednick – who has worked on some high-profile projects, including 300, Superman Returns, 10,000 B.C., the upcoming Where The Wild Things Are and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The new film will be funded through Sunset Pictures, with Sunset’s President, Martin Guigui, Joe Allegro and Johnny Ferraro as Executive Producers.

Apparently Ferraro initially conceived the concept as a motion picture in 1982, but when that project detoured to television the American Gladiators phenomenon was born. It has remained on the air for 19 of the last 20 years in 90 countries, including NBC’s 2008 primetime installment, and has spawned 14 national versions.