Dwayne Johnson To Play MMA Pioneer & UFC Champ Mark Kerr In Benny Safdie’s ‘The Smashing Machine’ For A24

Dwayne Johnson will play Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds barred era of UFC, in A24’s The Smashing Machine.

The movie, which the studio is producing and financing, puts them back in business with Benny Safdie, who co-directed and co-wrote one of their big hits, Uncut Gems ($50 million at the domestic box office). Safdie also wrote the script for The Smashing Machine.

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Johnson and Safdie have been collaborators on the project since Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions acquired rights in 2019. The pic will follow Kerr’s struggle with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.

Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks will produce alongside Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, Eli Bush and David Koplan.

Kerr is a former wrestler and mixed martial artist. During his MMA career he was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, a Pride FC Heavyweight Champion, 1992 NCAA National Wrestling Champion, 1994 National Freestyle Champion and four-time ADCC World Submission Champion.

In 2003, Kerr was the subject of an HBO documentary The Smashing Machine, which detailed his MMA career fighting in Vale Tudo, the UFC and Pride.

Said Noah Sacco of A24, “Dwayne and Benny are singular talents, and their shared vision for Mark’s inspiring story is electrifying. We are deeply honored to have their trust as collaborators in bringing this incredibly special project to life.”

Johnson is represented by WME and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman.

The project reps Safdie’s first directing project since Uncut Gems, which he co-helmed and co-wrote with his brother Josh. In the wake of the pic’s success, Benny Safdie has taken on a slew of acting roles in such projects as Oppenheimer, Licorice Pizza, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and the Star Wars Disney+ series Obi-Wan. A24 is also released the Safdie brothers’ 2017 crime noir Good Time, which starred Robert Pattinson and made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Safdie is represented by WME and Untitled Entertainment.

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