Dwayne Johnson seems ready as ever to begin his journey into a new era. The WrestleMania star is making sure he wants to push himself harder than ever before to “make films that matter,” which has brought him to the role of the MMA legend, Mark Kerr.
The wrestler turned actor, is set to be seen in the upcoming Bennie Safdie directed, ‘The Smashing Machine’ which will be produced and financed by the arthouse indie studio/distributor, A24, one of the leading production studios in the biz right now, with major hits like, “Moonlight” (2016), “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (2022) which went on to win Academy awards for best picture, and highly acclaimed arcane cinemas, “The Lighthouse” (2019), “Hereditary” (2018), and more.
First look at Benny Safdie’s THE SMASHING MACHINE starring @TheRock and Emily Blunt. pic.twitter.com/GVC2XIHwGV— A24 (@A24) May 21, 2024
‘The Rock’ looks almost unrecognizable in the teaser that A24 posted on social media. It is something that has never been seen before from Johnson. Dwayne sits at a corner of a boxing ring being tended to, shed of his trademark tattoos he also appears to have a thick brush of hair, sporting some facial prosthetics.
Johnson will be playing the lead in Safdie’s first solo directorial venture, as the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion and World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, Mark Kerr. The MMA luminary who struggled with addiction and his marriage, won over two dozen MMA titles, during the course of his career.
Safdie, who will be serving as the director and scriptwriter for the feature, has made a mark as a filmmaker at the side of his brother, Josh Safdie, creating the famed crime/thriller films, ‘Good Time’ (2017) and ‘Uncut Gems’ (2019). He also appeared in a handful of films this year as an actor, most notably as Edward Teller in the Christopher Nolan-directed, ‘Oppenheimer.’
Emily Blunt will be starring alongside Johnson in the drama, and will be portraying Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples. She also worked beside the ‘Jumanji’ actor in the 2021 adventure, ‘Jungle Cruise.’
As of yet, A24 has not announced a released date for “The Smashing Machine.”
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
