Dwayne Johnson to Play MMA Pioneer & UFC Champ Mark Kerr in Movie "The Smashing Machine"

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson will play Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds-barred era of UFC, in A24‘s "The Smashing Machine".

Per A24, the movie marks “The Rock’s move into his most dramatic project and role yet.” 

The movie’s logline reads: “‘The Smashing Machine’ is a drama based on the story of Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career. He struggles with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.”

Kerr, an American former wrestler and MMA icon, was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion and World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner. Over the course of his career, he won over two dozen MMA titles.

In 2003, Kerr was the subject of an HBO documentary, also titled “The Smashing Machine", which detailed his MMA career fighting in Vale Tudo, the UFC and Pride.

The movie, which the studio is producing and financing, puts them back in business with Benny Safdie, who co-directed and co-wrote one of their big hits, Uncut Gems ($50 million at the domestic box office). 

Safdie also wrote the script for the pic.

Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions will produce alongside Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, Eli Bush and David Koplan. 

Safdie and Johnson have collaborated on “The Smashing Machine” since Johnson first acquired the rights to the project in 2019. 

The project reps Safdie’s first directing project since "Uncut Gems", which he co-helmed and co-wrote with his brother Josh.