Trailer: Dwayne Johnson is ‘The Smashing Machine’

A24 has released the first trailer for The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson as legendary UFC fighting champion Mark Kerr from writer/director Benny Safdie.

Kerr is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a PRIDE FC competitor. In collegiate wrestling, Kerr was an NCAA Division I champion. In freestyle wrestling, he won gold and silver medals at the World Cup and silver at the Pan American Games. In submission wrestling, Kerr is a four-time ADCC World Champion, winning his weightclass twice along with the absolute division and the Superfight Championship.

In 2002, Kerr was the subject of an HBO documentary titled The Smashing Machine, which is where the film’s title is borrowed from, and detailed his MMA career fighting in Vale Tudo, the UFC and PRIDE and also focused on Kerr’s struggle with substance abuse, his relationships with his then-girlfriend, various training partners, and friendship with Mark Coleman.

Johnson reunites with Emily Blunt, his Academy Award-nominated co-star in 2021’s Jungle Cruise, who are set to work together again on Martin Scoresese’s next film, a Hawaii-set crime drama. Writer/director Safdie splits from his filmmaking brother Josh, who will have his own feature out this Christmas, the ping pong wizard biopic Marty Supreme with Timothée Chalamet.

It seems A24 has learned its lesson since the rushed late season release of their previous wrestling biodrama The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron, which garnered great reviews for its awards-worthy cast but its late December date and little build up landed it knocked out during awards season.

The Smashing Machine will be released in theaters on October 3. Here is the trailer.