Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will play MMA legend Mark Kerr in a new biopic.
‘The Smashing Machine’ will be produced by the A24 studio, which is behind the soon-to-be-released ‘The Iron Claw’.
The project has been long in the planning. Johnson and the film’s writer/director, Benny Safdie, have been developing the movie for several years.
Johnson’s company, Seven Bucks Productions, acquired the rights to Kerr’s story in 2019, with the former fighter’s blessing.
The film’s title borrows from the 2002 HBO documentary ‘The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr’, which covered the fighter’s career, as well as his struggles with addiction to pain medication.
During his MMA and wrestling career, Kerr was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, a World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, a Pride FC Heavyweight Champion, a 1992 NCAA National Wrestling Champion, a 1994 National Freestyle Wrestling Champion and four-time ADCC World Submission Champion.
A24 executive Noah Sacco said:
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.
