Dwayne Johnson could be setting up his most dramatic role to date. It has been announced that Johnson will play MMA fighter and UFC champ Mark Kerr in director Benny Safdie’s A24 film The Smashing Machine.
Per Deadline, A24 will produce and finance the film. This also marks a reunion between them and Safdie after he co-wrote and co-directed Uncut Gems; which became one of their biggest hits as a studio after grossing $50 million at the domestic box office.
Dwayne Johnson and Safdie have both been attached to this project since Seven Bucks Productions picked up the rights in 2019. Safdie also wrote the script; which is said to focus on “Kerr’s struggle with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000”. Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks production company will produce in collaboration with Safdie’s Out for the Counter production banner.
A24’s Noah Sacco had this to say about teaming up with Johnson and Safdie on the project:
“Dwayne and Benny are singular talents, and their shared vision for Mark’s inspiring story is electrifying. We are deeply honored to have their trust as collaborators in bringing this incredibly special project to life.”
Kerr was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a PRIDE FC competitor. In 2003, he became the subject of an HBO documentary called The Smashing Machine; detailing his accomplished career fighting in Vale Tudo, the UFC, and PRIDE, as well as his struggles with substance abuse.
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