Dwayne Johnson was prepared for one thing totally different.
Dwayne Johnson, also referred to as The Rock in skilled wrestling, is without doubt one of the largest 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 this planet, along 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, displaying the lifetime of two-time UFC heavyweight match winner Mark Kerr. The movie is from acclaimed director Benny Safdie and shall be launched by the impartial movie firm A24, which produced 2022 Academy Award profitable Every little thing All over the place All at As soon as amongst a litany of different vital darlings. It’s a giant departure for Johnson, who informed Pat McAfee on Tuesday that’s what drew him to the undertaking.
“I had been wanting for years now to chase the problem and be impressed by the problem,” Johnson mentioned. “I like making the larger blockbuster films. They’re quite a lot of enjoyable. They’re onerous as shit to make, and lots of people get pleasure from them, hopefully, knock on wooden, around the globe. However I wished extra. I wished a problem, and I simply wished the chance to vanish into one thing and disappear into a component and a job that may actually problem me in ways in which I’ve by no means been challenged earlier than.
“And on prime of that, I do know it sounds loopy, however to be nervous. In a method, 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 relies on The Smashing Machine documentary detailing Kerr’s rise to the highest of the MMA world and precipitous fall and subsequent battle with habit. The movie additionally stars former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, who performs UFC Corridor of Famer and Kerr’s buddy Mark Coleman, together with a number of different notable fight sports activities figures, together with heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk enjoying 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 enjoying himself.
