Dwayne Johnson‘s intriguing collaboration with Uncut Gems co-director Benny Safdie has landed a fall release date, putting it in the upcoming Oscar race. Johnson is set to star in The Smashing Machine, the biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr and is directed by Benny Safdie, one half of the directing duo The Safdie Brothers, who previously directed Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems and Robert Pattinson in Good Time. Johnson will co-star with Emily Blunt, with whom he previously worked on The Jungle Cruise. Johnson is also producing the film through his company, Seven Bucks Productions, alongside A24.
According to Deadline, A24 has set The Smashing Machine for an October 3, 2025, release date. The news came shortly after it was reported that Lionsgate would remove their Michael Jackson biopic Michael from that date. The Smashing Machine will now open opposite the crime drama Roofman starring Channing Tatum, the Christmas comedy The Man with the Bag, and The Keeper, director Osgood Perkins and star Tatiana Maslany’s follow-up to The Monkey.
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Benny Safdie’s previous film Uncut Gems received rave reviews for reviving the image of star Adam Sandler, and there is hope that The Smashing Machine can do the same for Dwayne Johnson as he leaves action-comedies behind in favor of hard-hitting drama. With A24 behind The Smashing Machine and an Oct. 3, 2025, release date, the studio could be positioning the film as a potential Oscar contender for awards season. Previous Best Picture nominees like The Social Network and The Martian opened on the first weekend of October, while previous Best Picture winner Anora opened on Oct. 18, 2024. So, could The Smashing Machine result in Oscar winner, The Rock?
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The Smashing Machine is the first in a series of projects that Dwayne Johnson is taking on that will hopefully reinvent the actor’s image after high-profile critical and financial disappointments like Red One and Black Adam. In addition to The Smashing Machine, he recently confirmed he will star in and produce a new crime thriller alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt to be directed by Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest living filmmakers. With The Smashing Machine and a new Scorsese film, Johnson is undoubtedly leveling up his game.
The Smashing Machine is also the latest in a new wave of films focused on professional sports fighting. This year has already seen Arrow’s Emily Bett Rickards Queen of the Ring and the critically acclaimed Jonathan Majors comeback vehicle Magazine Dreams hit theaters. Sydney Sweeney recently wrapped filming on a biopic about boxer Christy Martin, which could possibly open in theaters in 2025.
Many were disappointed with how A24 handled the Oscar campaign for 2023’s The Iron Claw, a critically acclaimed movie that looked at the real-life story of a family of wrestlers, one with a tragic ending. If The Smashing Machine is as good as the talent involved suggests, they hopefully won’t drop the ball on this one.
Source: Deadline
