Dwayne Johnson has shared some new details about The Smashing Machine, the upcoming mixed martial arts movie coming from Benny Safdie and A24.
In December 2023, A24 announced Johnson and Safdie were collaborating on a new movie, The Smashing Machine, that will be based on the real-life story of Mark Kerr.
Speaking to Variety, Johnson said that he and Safdie first got together for the project in 2019; however, the COVID-19 pandemic and other commitments put the project on hold.
The two reunited through Emily Blunt, who starred in 2021’s Jungle Cruise with Johnson, when Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (starring both Blunt and Safdie) was being filmed, which Johnson called a “convergence of kismet and irony.”
Speaking further about The Smashing Machine, Johnson said, “I want to be clear not to say that this is an abandonment of big, four-quadrant movies. I love making them, and there is tremendous value and importance in [them] … but there’s a time and a place for them. I’m at this point in my career where I want more. And I don’t mean I want more box office. I mean I want more humanity. And that is why Benny Safdie is the perfect, collaborative, hungry partner for me.”
He added, “Benny wants to create, and continues to push the envelope when it comes to stories that are raw and real, characters that are authentic and at times uncomfortable and arresting,” Johnson says. “I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past. I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.”
What is The Smashing Machine about?
“The Smashing Machine is a drama based on the story of Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career,” reads the film’s description. “He struggles with addiction, winning, love, and friendship in the year 2000.”
The Smashing Machine does not yet have a release date.
