Dwayne Johnson is getting ready to flex his dramatic chops in an upcoming A24 film from Uncut Gems‘ Benny Safdie.
The 51-year-old movie star will portray mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, which tells the story of the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion. Safdie penned the script and will direct the film he’s been working on with Johnson since 2019.
A24 will fund the film and handle production duties alongside Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, Safdie’s company Out for the Count, Eli Bush, and David Koplan.
HBO released a documentary of the same name in 2002 about the fighter’s professional career and battle with addiction that led to an overdose. The nickname “The Smashing Machine” originated from Kerr’s no-nonsense, no-holds-barred fighting style.
“Dwayne and Benny are singular talents, and their shared vision for Mark’s inspiring story is electrifying,” A24’s Noah Sacco said in a statement. “We are deeply honored to have their trust as collaborators in bringing this incredibly special project to life.”
While he’s getting ready to star in a new film, the former professional wrestler has two more films that will be released. The first is the upcoming Red Notice 2, the sequel to the Netflix action-comedy of the same name. The second film is the Amazon action-comedy Red One, which will find The Rock co-starring alongside Chris Evans.
