Dwayne Johnson transforms into UFC fighter Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s new drama. More on The Smashing Machine below.
Dwayne Johnson is getting back in the ring. Not a WWE ring, but a UFC one. Johnson, a former wrestler, stars as Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s latest drama for A24, and we’ve got our very first trailer for the film.
Take a look at The Smashing Machine trailer below.
The film takes its name from a nickname given to Kerr for his (painful sounding) fighting style. Judging from the trailer, The Smashing Machine will chart the fighter’s career’s ups and downs, including his struggles with addiction.
Johnson is joined by his Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn Staples. Ryan Bader, Oleksandr Usyk, Whitney Moore and Bas Rutten, a former MMA fighter himself, round out the film’s cast.
Safdie, making his solo directorial debut without brother Josh by his side, collaborated with Kerr on the film’s script. The Smashing Machine is set in the early 2000s – Kerr was largely retired from fighting by 2010 – and the film was shot on 16mm film, giving it a retro look. Kerr’s story was recently told in an HBO documentary that shares its title with Safdie’s movie.
Johnson evidently got so immersed in the role that he suffered a real injury on set while shooting a fight scene. Johnson banged up his elbow badly enough for the star to describe it looking like a cantaloupe. Ouch.
The Smashing Machine is heading into UK cinemas on 3rd October, courtesy of Entertainment Film Distribution.
