James Whitehead
Dwayne Johnson prepares to give us his most emotional performance yet as he plays former UFC champion Mark Kerr in this unflinching look at MMA and the cost of addiction and success.
Watch the first trailer for “The Smashing Machine” right here.
Mark Kerr was one of the most dominant and feared fighters in the early world of MMA, but this persona and power came at a crippling cost as he struggled behind the scenes with addiction and identity issues. This promises to be Dwayne Johnson’s breakout role in terms of a serious, dramatic story. One that has been earmarked as a potential award season contender due to the brutal human nature of the story. A story that must have felt very much close to home with a lot of parallels to Johnson’s own early career in WWE.
The Rock’s own production company, Seven Bucks Productions, is teaming up with indie-film darlings A24 to bring us this emotional, true tale. Benny Safdie is set to direct after his acclaimed work on “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems”, with Emily Blunt starring opposite Johnson as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples, as she returns to work with both Johnson and Safdie.
The Smashing Machine hits theatres on the 3rd of October.
For more updates and news on The Smashing Machine, keep up to date with the Film and TV News section on our Hits Player.
