Watch the trailer for Benny Safdie’s ‘The Smashing Machine’ starring Dwayne Johnson
The trailer for the upcoming MMA biopic The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson and directed by Benny Safdie, has been released.
The film tells the story of MMA and UFC champion fighter Mark Kerr, played by Johnson, as he prepares for the biggest showdown spectacle of his career.
Alongside this, it charts the struggles in Kerr’s relationship with his then-wife Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt, as they attempt to navigate the strain on their marriage at odds with his fighting journey.
In the trailer, former professional wrestler turned Hollywood actor Johnson looks almost unrecognisable as Kerr, using his sporting and acting expertise to combine in the sports drama.
A24 are producing the movie while Safdie not only directs, but also writes, co-produces, and co-edits the project. It comes as his first time back in the director’s chair since the smash hit crime thriller Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler, released some six years ago back in 2019.
The Smashing Machine is not the first time Johnson and Blunt have starred opposite each other on the big screen, as they appeared in the 2021 Disney action film Jungle Cruise alongside one another.
However, the upcoming fighting biopic represents a significant departure from their previous family blockbuster, with Blunt explaining in interviews that Johnson is one of her favourite actors to work with.
She said: “Because you have trust with someone, it just allows the scenes to take flight, and there’s a sort of secret language,” adding, “I definitely felt that with Dwayne because it was just so easy, even though the scenes [in The Smashing Machine] were incredibly hardcore and intense and very difficult to get over some of them.”
The Smashing Machine will be released in cinemas on October 3rd, 2025.
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