Dwayne Johnson is almost unrecognizable as mixed martial arts legend Mark Kerr in the first look at A24’s The Smashing Machine.
A24 posted a teaser for the Benny Safdie’s feature on social media after Johnson traveled to Cannes last week to meet with buyers about the UFC story.
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The Rock is shown in the still sitting on the corner of a ring, devoid of his signature tattoos and sporting a full head of hair.
In The Smashing Machine, Johnson portrays the renowned mixed martial artist Kerr, who competed in the UFC during its brutal heyday. The film will chronicle Kerr’s battle in 2000 with addiction, success, love, and friendship.
Emily Blunt co-stars and is shown in the first-look photo at the bottom right. She portrays the wife of the MMA champion, Dawn Staples. She tries to establish a life with Mark, but she finds it difficult to fit in with his conflicting and chaotic environment.
Reunited with Safdie, who co-wrote and co-directed Uncut Gems ($50 million at the domestic box office), A24 is producing and financing the film. The Smashing Machine’s script was also written by Safdie.
Kerr is a mixed martial artist and former wrestler. He won the World Vale Tudo Championship tournament twice, the UFC Heavyweight Tournament twice, the Pride FC Heavyweight Championship, the 1992 NCAA National Wrestling Champion, the 1994 National Freestyle Champion, and the ADCC World Submission Champion four times during his MMA career.
