Dwayne Johnson will be channeling his professional wrestling past for his next film role.
The 51-year-old Black Adam star has signed on to lead a film directed by Benny Safdie, with A24 producing, the studio announced on Wednesday.
He will be playing the real-life mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine.
Kerr was previously the subject of the documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life And Times Of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr, which detailed his success in the early days of the extreme fight movement, as well as his subsequent struggles with an addiction to pain killers.
The film would be a striking departure for Johnson — who has lately mused about helming a presidential campaign — as he has primarily focused on big budget franchise projects from major studios in recent years.
Dwayne Johnson will be channeling his professional wrestling past for his next film role in The Smashing Machine. The Black Adam star, 51, has signed on to lead a film directed by Benny Safdie, with A24 producing
In addition to directing, Safdie is writing the feature
He has made a name for himself as an acclaimed filmmaker after previously co-writing and co-directing multiple acclaimed films with his brother Josh Safdie, including the Robert Pattinson–starring Good Time and the Adam Sandler crime thriller Uncut Gems.
The later film was also made with A24 and became the studio's biggest hit at the time, grossing $50 million against a $19 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, though Everything Everywhere All At Once later surpassed it.
Although Safdie acted in several of his films with his brother, he has lately become an in-demand actor with appearances in acclaimed films including Oppenheimer, Licorice Pizza and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.
He also co-created and co-wrote the positively-reviewed Showtime series The Curse with Nathan Fielder.
A24 executive Noah Sacco said of the project: '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.'
The Smashing Machine will be financed and produced by the studio. Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, Safdie’s Out for the Count and Eli Bush and David Koplan are also producing.
Safdie's previously directing efforts have been with his brother, So The Smashing Machine will mark his solo directorial debut.
Johnson will be playing the former MMA fighter Mark Kerr during the early days of UFC; seen in 1997 in Birmingham, Alabama
Safdie rose to fame by co-directing and co-writing films with his brother Josh Safdie, including Uncut Gems and Good Time, but he has emerged as an in-demand actor in Oppenheimer and other recent acclaimed filmes
Safdie (center) currently costars on the Showtime series The Curse with Nathan Fielder. The two also co-created and co-wrote the black comedy
The Smashing Machine will be departure for Johnson after years of big budget franchise films, but he's not giving them up. He's currently working on Red Notice 2 for Netflix; seen October 21 in Beverly Hills
His brother Josh is set to go solo as well for his next project, another film starring Adam Sandler for Netflix, which will delve into the world of sports memorabilia collectors.
Johnson has been working with the filmmaker to develop the project since 2019.
Although he may be going the indie route with The Smashing Machine, Johnson isn't leaving massive budgets behind.
The Jumanji star is currently working on Red Notice 2 for Netflix, and he is expected to appear in the upcoming Fast & Furious sequel Fast X: Part 2.