Late last year, we were all surprised to hear that Benny Safdie was teaming up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for a new film, “The Smashing Machine.” This marks the first time Benny Safdie directed a film without his brother, and a rare instance that The Rock was starring in a movie that doesn’t have a $200 million budget. And now, less than six months later, we have our first look at the film.
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Courtesy of A24, we have our first image from the upcoming sports drama, “The Smashing Machine.” And even though The Rock is starring in the film, you’d be hard-pressed to guess that based just on the image, as the athlete-turned-megastar is damn near unrecognizable in the lead role. Seriously, just looking at the image, even knowing Dwayne Johnson is the lead, the prosthetics on his face (and the full head of hair) make him completely morph into the role of Mark Kerr.
For those unfamiliar with the film, “The Smashing Machine” is based on the novel and documentary of the same name, which follows the story of legendary fighter, Mark Kerr. He’s probably best known for his cage fighting in the early days of UFC. Kerr also struggled with addiction, which you have to assume the film will tackle. It’s a story that is dark but filled with hope. And surprisingly, since The Rock is involved, there are no explosions expected.
Joining Johnson in the film is none other than Emily Blunt, who worked with him on the previous film, “The Jungle Cruise.” And as mentioned, the film is written and directed by Benny Safdie, who is primarily known for his filmmaking work with his brother, Josh.
There’s no release date yet for “The Smashing Machine,” but you can see the first look image below:
