The Smashing Machine (2025 film)

The Smashing Machine
Directed by	Benny Safdie
Written by	Benny Safdie
Produced by	Dwayne Johnson Benny Safdie Eli Bush David Koplan
Starring	Dwayne Johnson Emily Blunt
Cinematography	Maceo Bishop
Edited by	Ronald Bronstein Benny Safdie
Music by	Nala Sinephro
Production companies	A24 Seven Bucks Productions Out for the Count
Distributed by	A24
Release date	2025 (2025)
Country	United States
Language	English

The Smashing Machine is an upcoming American biographical sports drama film written, directed, co-produced, and co-edited by Benny Safdie. It stars Dwayne Johnson as former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, alongside Emily Blunt as Kerr's then-wife Dawn Staples, and is set to be released by A24 in 2025.

Cast

• Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr
• Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples
• Lyndsey Gavin as Elizabeth Coleman
• Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn
• Bas Rutten as himself
• Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman
• Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue
• James Moontasri as Akira Shoji
• Yoko Hamamura as Kazuyuki Fujita
• Paul Cheng as Masaaki Satake
• Cyborg Abreu as Fábio Gurgel ^[1]
• Andre Tricoteux as Paul Varelans
• Paul Lazenby as Hans Nijman
• Olga Dzyurak as Igor's Translator
• Ryan Ventura as Pride FC Ring Announcer
• Zoe Kosovic as McKenzie Coleman

Production

In December 2023, it was announced that a biographical sports drama film based on the life and career of Mark Kerr was in development at A24, with Benny Safdie writing and directing and Dwayne Johnson starring. ^[2] During the 2024 Academy Awards, Johnson confirmed that Blunt would star in the film as Kerr's wife Dawn Staples. ^[3] Lyndsey Gavin, Oleksandr Usyk, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Zoe Kosovic joined the cast in May 2024. ^{[4] [5]}

Principal photography ran on May 21 to August 7, 2024, ^[6] spanning locations such as New Mexico, Tokyo, and Vancouver. Later that month, Johnson tweeted that Belgian musician Nala Sinephro would compose the score. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

See also

• List of boxing films

References

1. Williams, Jackson (June 8, 2024). "Roberto 'Cyborg' Abreu Cast As Fabio Gurgel In Mark Kerr Biopic 'The Smashing Machine'". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
2. Gallupo, Mia (December 13, 2023). "Dwayne Johnson to Play MMA Fighter Mark Kerr in A24 Movie from Benny Safdie". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
3. Ramos Bechara, Diego (March 10, 2024). "Dwayne Johnson Talks Reuniting With Emily Blunt for New MMA Drama, 'Possibly' Reteaming for 'Jungle Cruise 2'". Variety . Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
4. Brown, Emily (May 21, 2024). "Dwayne Johnson is completely unrecognizable in new movie role leaving fans shocked". UNILAD . Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
5. Russell, Skylar (May 22, 2024). "Report: A24's 'The Smashing Machine' Targeting A December 2024 Release". Fightful. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
6. Goodfellow, Melanie; Wiseman, Andreas (August 7, 2024). "Dwayne Johnson MMA Fighter Pic 'The Smashing Machine' Scores Deals For A24 As Shooting Wraps". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
7. "Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
8. Prasad, Sumith (March 2, 2024). "Dwayne Johnson's The Smashing Machine Starts Multi-Country Filming in May". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
9. Sharf, Zack (May 21, 2024). "'The Smashing Machine' First Look: Dwayne Johnson Transforms into MMA Icon Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie's A24 Drama". Variety . Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

External links

• The Smashing Machine at IMDb