Update: Two days ago, watercoolers were abuzz with talk about Emily Blunt starring opposite Dwayne Johnson in A24 and Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine. Today, in the forthcoming film, Emily Blunt is officially in talks to play Dawn Staples, Mark Kerr’s (Johnson) wife. “While trying to set up a new life together, Dawn struggles to find her place within Mark’s chaotic and contradictory world,” said an A24 representative.
Emily Blunt and Benny Safdie are old friends after working alongside one another on Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Meanwhile, Blunt and Johnson embarked on an epic adventure in Disney’s Jungle Cruise.
Here’s the official synopsis for The Smashing Machine courtesy of A24:
“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.”
Interestingly, Blunt is partially responsible for Dwayne Johnson joining the cast of The Smashing Machine. While working on Oppenheimer, Blunt and Safdie began talking about his forthcoming MMA-inspired project. Blunt mentioned her muscular Jungle Cruise co-star as someone who could play Mark Kerr in the film. Safdie got Johnson on the horn, and the rest remains to be seen.
Original Article: Dwayne Johnson is currently shaking up his career after his passion project — the superhero film Black Adam — fell from the sky after it debuted to a negative reception and a complete overhaul of the DC Universe put to rest any kind of follow-up. Johnson recently seemingly squashed his beef with Vin Diesel as a post-credits scene in Fast X featured the return of Luke Hobbs, teasing a part in the next entry, Fast X – Part 2. He is also currently making appearances in the WWE again in preparation for an upcoming Wrestlemania and The Rock has turned back into a glorious heel.
Johnson also grabbed the film world’s attention when it was recently announced that he’s taking a break from blockbuster movies to do a more dramatic role in A24’s The Smashing Machine. The biopic will be directed by indie filmmaker Benny Safdie, who has helmed films like Good Time and Uncut Gems with his brother. In addition to his directorial duties, Safdie is co-writing the script, which focuses on Kerr’s struggle with addiction, his career and his personal life during the year 2000. The InSneider is now reporting that Emily Blunt, who has co-starred with Johnson in Disney’s The Jungle Cruise, is in talks to join the UFC fighter film.
The film’s subject, Mark Kerr, is an American former wrestler and mixed martial artist. As a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, a PRIDE FC Heavyweight Champion, 1992 NCAA National Wrestling Champion, 1994 National Freestyle Champion, and 4x ADCC World Submission Champion, Kerr is one of the biggest badasses to ever get into the ring. “Dwayne and Benny are singular talents, and their shared vision for Mark’s inspiring story is electrifying,” said Noah Sacco of A24. “We are deeply honored to have their trust as collaborators in bringing this incredibly special project to life.”
Johnson has solidified himself as a superstar of big-budget popcorn movies. Though he’s experimented with slightly bolder films in the past, he explains that he is yearning to try something different with this project as he takes a break from action films. Johnson told Variety, “I want to be clear not to say that this is an abandonment of big, four-quadrant movies. I love making them, and there is tremendous value and importance in [them] … but there’s a time and a place for them. I’m at this point in my career where I want more. And I don’t mean I want more box office. I mean I want more humanity. And that is why Benny Safdie is the perfect, collaborative, hungry partner for me.”