Dwayne Johnson undergoes his most dramatic on-screen transformation yet in the first trailer for “The Smashing Machine,” a biopic about two-time UFC heavyweight champ Mark Kerr. A24 pulled the curtain back on the drama Tuesday morning.
Benny Safdie, one of the two Safdie brothers who co-directed and wrote “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time,” makes his solo directorial feature debut on the film. In addition to Johnson, the cast includes Emily Blunt as Kerr’s wife Dawn Staples, Bas Rutten, Lyndsey Gavin and Oleksandr Usyk. “The Smashing Machine” is Johnson and Blunt’s second collaboration since Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” in 2021, and they’re set to next team with Leonardo DiCaprio on a Hawaiian crime thriller from Martin Scorsese.
Kerr was a mixed martial artist who fought from 1997 to 2009, winning four ADCC World Championships in his career. In 2002, Kerr was the subject of an HBO documentary also entitled “The Smashing Machine,” which centered around his substance abuse issues and tumultuous relationships with his girlfriend and trainers.
Johnson previously told Variety that he wanted to work with Safdie on “The Smashing Machine” because “Benny wants to create, and continues to push the envelope when it comes to stories that are raw and real, characters that are authentic and at times uncomfortable and arresting. I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past. I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.”
Kerr and Safdie serve as co-writers. Safdie, Johnson, Danny Garcia, Eli Bush, Hiram Garcia and David Koplan are producers. Tracey Landon executive produces.
“The Smashing Machine” comes to theaters on Oct. 3. Watch the trailer below.
