Dwayne Johnson was prepared for one thing completely different.
Dwayne Johnson, also referred to as The Rock in skilled wrestling, is among the greatest stars on the planet. A pivotal determine in each previous and current WWE, The Rock can also be one of the bankable film stars on the earth, together with his movies grossing over $12.5 billion worldwide. However Johnson’s subsequent movie is a a lot smaller affair, one which touches near dwelling for MMA followers.
In October, Johnson’s new film, The Smashing Machine will be released, exhibiting the lifetime of two-time UFC heavyweight event winner Mark Kerr. The movie is from acclaimed director Benny Safdie and can be launched by the unbiased movie firm A24, which produced 2022 Academy Award successful Every little thing All over the place All at As soon as amongst a litany of different crucial darlings. It’s an enormous departure for Johnson, who advised Pat McAfee on Tuesday that’s what drew him to the mission.
“I had been wanting for years now to chase the problem and be impressed by the problem,” Johnson stated. “I really like making the larger blockbuster motion pictures. They’re numerous enjoyable. They’re onerous as shit to make, and lots of people take pleasure in them, hopefully, knock on wooden, world wide. However I wished extra. I wished a problem, and I simply wished the chance to vanish into one thing and disappear into an element and a job that may actually problem me in ways in which I’ve by no means been challenged earlier than.
“And on high of that, I do know it sounds loopy, however to be nervous. In a manner, you’re buzzy. ‘How am I going to do that? I don’t know the way to do that?’ That occurred on The Smashing Machine with Benny Safdie and A24 and, in fact, Emily Blount.”
The movie is predicated on The Smashing Machine documentary detailing Kerr’s rise to the highest of the MMA world and precipitous fall and subsequent battle with dependancy. The movie additionally stars former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, who performs UFC Corridor of Famer and Kerr’s good friend Mark Coleman, together with a number of different notable fight sports activities figures, together with heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk taking part in Russian fighter Igor Vovchanchyn, Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue, James Moontasri as Akira Shoji, Andre Tricoteux as Paul Varelans and former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten taking part in himself.
