The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) has bagged a role as a former UFC fighter in a new A24 movie, ‘The Smashing Machine,’ based on his nickname due to his extreme fighting style. It will be directed by one-half of the Uncut Gems duo, Benny Safdie.
‘The Great One’ managed to establish himself as one of the highest-paid Hollywood actors and has delivered some incredible performances in blockbuster action movies. His roles in popular franchises like Fast & Furious, GI Joe, and elevated his acting career.
The Rock will be starring as Mark Kerr
Now, the former WWE superstar will be starring as mixed martial arts fighter and two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion Mark Kerr in the upcoming movie.
It has come to light that the pro-wrestler-turned-actor The Rock and Safdie, who authored and will film the feature (his first solo directorial endeavor), have been working on the project since 2019.
A24 will finance the new film, as well as produce alongside Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, Eli Bush and David Koplan.
Here is what A24’s Noah Sacco said:
“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.”
There is another documentary on Mark Kerr that was released in 2002. The HBO documentary ‘The Smashing Machine’ depicted Kerr’s professional career and rise in combat sports and documented Kerr’s battle with a painkiller addiction that resulted in an overdose.
The Rock’s upcoming projects include Red Notice 2, the sequel to the highly-budgeted Netflix action comedy of the same name. The Amazon action comedy Red One is also lined up which will see him co-starring alongside Chris Evans. He is represented by WME and Gang Tyre.
On the other hand, Safdie’s recent projects include Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Judy Blume adaptation ‘Are You There God?’ ‘It’s Me, Margarette’, and Showtime series ‘The Curse’, represented by WME and Untitled Entertainment.
