It has almost been like a whirlwind for Benny Safdie after he and his brother, Josh, garnered much attention after making their acclaimed drama with Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems. In addition to directing with his brother, Benny had also explored being in front of the camera as well, when he co-starred in their breakout film, Good Time. Benny would also be seen in Oppenheimer alongside Cillian Murphy, as well as Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and co-starring in Showtime’s dark comedy The Curse, which he executive produces with Nathan Fielder. Recently, it was announced Benny would be making an MMA drama with Dwayne Johnson for A24, titled The Smashing Machine.
As Benny’s career starts to flourish, he announces he and his brother have ended their directing collaboration, at least for now. Benny spoke with Variety about separating from his brother. He addresses the rumor about the duo having a falling out, saying, “It’s a natural progression of what we each want to explore. I will direct on my own, and I will explore things that I want to explore. I want that freedom right now in my life.” The Safdies were previously set to work with Adam Sandler again on another drama about sports memorabilia and baseball. However, Benny revealed that he was not involved as heavily in the development of that film and says the status of it is “on pause.” When he was inquired about directing with his brother again in the future, he simply replies, “I don’t know.”
Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson reportedly revealed that he and Benny had started their journey with The Smashing Machine in 2019 after Johnson had acquired the rights to UFC fighter, Mark Kerr’s story. The two moved on to other projects and when Benny worked with Johnson’s former Jungle Cruise co-star, Emily Blunt, on Oppenheimer, she brought the two back into the same trajectory with the project. Johnson feels inspired by Benny’s creative style, saying, “Benny wants to create, and continues to push the envelope when it comes to stories that are raw and real, characters that are authentic and at times uncomfortable and arresting. I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past. I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.”