Photos of Johnson after his transformation on the set of “The Smashing Machine” have spread around the world. Actor will play the role of the legendary MMA fighter, Mark Kerr, who, while becoming an important person in the sports world, struggled with addictions and marital problems in his private life. Johnson will be accompanied on screen by Emily Blunt (“A Quiet Place”, “Oppenheimer”), who will play the wrestler's wife – Dawn Staples.
Photos from the set show that the actor known from the “Fast and Furious” series looks remarkably like Kerr. He probably also has special prosthetics on his face to help him portray the original as best as possible.
The film is currently in production, though the first talks about it took place already in 2019. However, the plans were postponed due to the pandemic.
Mark Kerr is a silver medalist at the Pan American Wrestling Games (1995) and a two-time UFC heavyweight tournament champion. The story of his career can also be seen in the documentary “The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr” (2002).
The name Safdie is gaining importance in contemporary cinema. Although “The Smashing Machne” will be Benny's solo directorial debut, it He collaborated with his brother Josh on two films for the independent studio A24: : “Good Time” (2017) with Robert Pattinson and “Rough Diamonds” (2019), where Adam Sandler played the main role. Additionally, Benny has several film roles to his credit; he appeared, among others, in productions such as “Licorice Pizza” (2021) or “Oppenheimer” (2023).
The release date of “The Smashing Machine” has not yet been announced.
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