By The first trailer for The Smashing Machine has arrived, and it’s a gritty look at a UFC champ.
In the footage, which you can watch above, Dwayne Johnson looks unrecognizable as MMA fighter and two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion Mark Kerr. We see Kerr in multiple fights, as well as talking about his ethos towards the sport. Johnson, of course, started out as a professional wrestler, so this seems like a role that was made for him.
Emily Blunt, who co-stars as Kerr’s wife Dawn Staples, also features heavily in the footage, as it seems the strain of supporting Kerr and his career takes its toll.
The film is written and directed by Benny Safdie in his first solo directorial effort, after previously collaborating with his brother Josh Safdie on films like Uncut Gems and Good Time. Benny Safdie is also an actor, with recent roles including Edward Teller in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (and an upcoming role in The Odyssey) and Nari in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The Smashing Machine was first reported to be in the works in late 2023, and Benny Safdie and Johnson have been developing it since 2019. HBO released a documentary about Kerr in 2002, also titled The Smashing Machine, which explored his fighting career and painkiller addiction. “The Smashing Machine” is Ker