First photo of Smashing Machine | Image: A24/X
Actor Dwayne Johnson’s first look from his upcoming film The Smashing Machine has been revealed. In the film, Johnson, also known as The Rock, plays Mark Kerr, a former wrestler and mixed martial artist who is a two-time UFC Heavyweight tournament champion.
The Rock looks unrecognizable in The Smashing Machine
In the first images from The Smashing Machine, Johnson appears unrecognizable with the help of prosthetics and a wig. Directed by Benny Safdie, the film also stars Johnson’s Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt. Blunt plays Dawn Staples, Kerr’s wife. According to Variety, the film is currently in production.
The Smashing Machine marks the first solo feature from Benny Safdie, who has previously collaborated with his brother Josh on A24 indie hits such as Good Time and Uncut Gems. Benny also starred alongside Blunt in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Has The Smashing Machine been put on hold?
Johnson and Safdie first connected on the project in 2019, but had to put the film on hold due to the pandemic. Years later, during a phone call between Johnson and Blunt, Blunt mentioned that she had just watched the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr. She encouraged Johnson, saying, “You have to make this movie. »
Johnson told Variety that he was drawn to The Smashing Machine because “Benny wants to create and continues to push the boundaries when it comes to raw, real stories, authentic and sometimes uncomfortable and gripping characters. I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I haven’t pushed myself in the past I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore humanity and. struggle. [and] pain.”
The film is produced by Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, with Safdie, Eli Bush and David Koplan’s Out for the Count banner.
