A “Jungle Cruise” reunion is in the works, and, no, it’s not “Jungle Cruise 2.” Instead, Variety reports that the co-leads of the Disney film may reunite for Benny Safdie‘s MMA biopic “The Smashing Machine,” with Emily Blunt in final talks to join the picture. Dwayne Johnson was already aboard the project, Safdie’s solo directorial debut about MMA and UFC champion Mark Kerr. In fact, if Blunt joins “The Smashing Machine,” it’ll be a reunion with Safdie too, as the pair starred together in Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer” last summer.
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An A24 production, Safdie plans to start shooting “The Smashing Machine” this summer. If Blunt signs on, she’ll play Dawn Staples, Kerr’s wife. Here’s a brief plot synopsis for the film, courtesy of A24: “While trying to set up a new life together, Dawn struggles to find her place within Mark’s chaotic and contradictory world.” Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions will co-produce the film alongside Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, with Eli Bush and David Koplan.
News broke about “The Smashing Machine” last December, with many raising their eyebrows at Johnson taking on the Mark Kerr role. This isn’t the usual Dwayne Johnson vehicle, where he almost always plays some undefeatable version of his celebrity persona onscreen. Instead, Johnson will need to bring some depth, darkness, and volatility to the movie, as the real-life Kerr battled addiction and adversity throughout his career in the octagon.
But it shouldn’t surprise moviegoers that Blunt may be involved in the upcoming film. According to Johnson, the actress is the reason he and Safdie are making “The Smashing Machine.” The pair first discussed the project back in 2019, but things got put on hold after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the industry. Safdie and Johnson lost touch about the movie, only for a conversation between Johnson and Blunt years later re-piqued the actor’s interest in the film. Then after Blunt watched the 2002 doc “The Smashing Machine: The Life And Times Of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr,” Johnson said she called him up and demanded he make the movie: “You must make this movie,” he recalled her saying. And while Safdie and Blunt never discussed the project on the “Oppenheimer” set, her phone call to Johnson replanted the seed.
Kerr will be a challenging role for Johnson, but their resemblance to each other and Johnson’s physique will help him succeed. Over his fighting career, Kerr was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion and World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner. He also won over two dozen other MMA titles over his twelve-year career. Kerr will be Johnson’s next role after the upcoming actioner “Red One,” out this Christmas. As for Blunt, if she signs on to “The Smashing Machine,” it’ll be her next live-action role after “The Fall Guy,” which hits theaters on May 3 after its SXSW world premiere. As for “Jungle Cruise 2,” it remains to be seen if the sequel will come to fruition.
