The trailer for Dwayne The Rock Johnsons next big acting role just dropped, and its already turning heads. Johnson stars in The Smashing Machine, a raw, intense MMA drama from A24 thats set to hit theaters on October 3.
Directed and written by Benny Safdiebest known for Uncut Gemsthe film features Johnson as real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr, a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion whose dominant in-ring style earned him the nickname The Smashing Machine. The trailer gives a glimpse into the brutal world Kerr lived in, both inside the cage and outside of it.
The film is being produced by Johnson and Dany Garcias Seven Bucks Productions, alongside Safdies Out for the Count banner, Eli Bush, and David Koplan. A24, the same studio behind The Iron Claw, is handling distribution.
For longtime MMA fans, this story hits familiar ground. Kerrs life was the subject of the 2002 HBO documentary The Smashing Machine, which detailed not just his meteoric rise in the fight world, but also his personal demonsincluding his battle with painkiller addiction and a near-fatal overdose.
The Rock appears fully locked in for the role, shedding his usual action-hero polish to take on one of the more complex characters of his career. Based on the trailer, this isnt about winning titlesits about surviving the fight outside the cage.
Are you into The Rock taking on more serious, real-life roles like this? What do you think of the trailer for The Smashing Machine? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
