Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has wrapped up his latest Hollywood gig.
The former WWE Champion is slated to portray an MMA fighter in a drama from A24, the same studio that made “The Iron Claw,” a film about the rise and fall of the Von Erich family that was released in 2023.
Rock will team with director Benny Safdie, who directed “Uncut Gems” on “The Smashing Machine,” where he will play Mark Kerr, a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion.
HBO put out a documentary titled “The Smashing Machine” in 2002 that detailed his professional career and his rise in MMA in addition to his addiction to painkillers that led to an overdose. Kerr earned the nickname “The Smashing Machine” because of his fighting style.
Safdie also wrote the project. Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, Eli Bush, and David Koplan will also produce the film.
Hollywood North Buzz reported that The Rock’s shooting dates for the film in Vancouver have finished. Most of the production happened on a Tokyo Dome ring set in Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum while looking back on his several Pride Fighting Championship fights.
The movie is expected to be released in 2025.
