Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will play the MMA fighter Mark Kerr in “The Smashing Machine.”
The 51-year-old actor has been cast as the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion in the new movie that is being directed by Benny Safdie – one half of the sibling duo that helmed the acclaimed picture Uncut Gems.
Safdie has written and directed the flick (which is his first solo project behind the camera) and has been working with The Rock on the film since 2019.
Kerr’s rise through the fighting world and an addiction to painkillers that led to an overdose were detailed in the 2002 HBO documentary “The Smashing Machine,” a nickname he earned as a result of his fighting style.
The movie will also see Johnson return to his roots as he famously started his career as a professional wrestler and was a key figure in the success of WWE at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s.
A24 is financing the film and will produce alongside The Rock and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions company.
“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,” the company’s Noah Sacco said.
Meanwhile, The Rock recently suggested that he was open to the idea of running for the U.S. Presidency after a poll showed that he has plenty of support from the public.
“It’s crazy, and it’s wild. This run for President talk has kind of been in the ether for the past couple of years. And it just never stops being surreal. It was incredible. It came from DC. We sat down. The poll was something like almost 50 percent of Americans would support me running for President. It was just crazy,” the Black Adam actor said during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
