Dwayne Johnson is about to tackle a brand new difficult position as he portrays blended martial arts fighter Mark Kerr within the upcoming movie “The Smashing Machine.”
The movie, introduced by A24 and directed by Benny Safdie, explores Kerr‘s life on the peak of his profession in 2000, delving into his victories, relationships, friendships, and struggles with dependancy. Kerr, nicknamed “The Smashing Machine,” was a formidable MMA and UFC champion, incomes over two dozen titles and securing the UFC Heavyweight Event Championship twice.
“Dwayne and Benny are singular skills, and their shared imaginative and prescient for Mark‘s inspiring story is electrifying,” A24’s Noah Sacco mentioned in a press release to The Hollywood Reporter and Selection.
“We’re deeply honored to have their belief as collaborators in bringing this extremely particular venture to life.”
Johnson’s new venture
The movie marks Safdie‘s first solo venture as each author and director, following his collaborative success with “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time.”
Johnson, Safdie, and others, together with Dany Garcia, Eli Bush, and David Koplan, are producing the film. Kerr‘s story was beforehand documented within the HBO movie “The Smashing Machine” in 2002, shedding mild on his rise within the MMA world and the challenges he confronted, together with a battle with dependancy that resulted in an overdose.
Whereas Johnson retired from WWE in 2004, he just lately returned, participating in a shock face-off with John Cena throughout WWE SmackDown! in September. Johnson is concurrently concerned in a number of tasks, together with “Crimson Discover 2,” “Quick X: Half 2,” “Jungle Cruise 2,” “Crimson One,” and the live-action remake of “Moana.”
Safdie, recognized for his work on “Uncut Gems,” can be concerned in productions like “Telemarketers,” “Love Has Received,” and has acted in “Are You There God? It is Me, Margaret” and “Oppenheimer.”