Dwayne Johnson is gunning for that Oscar by the looks of his new sports drama, The Smashing Machine.
The former pro wrestler is nearly unrecognizable in his role as UFC fighter Mark Kerr in the new A24 drama. Written and directed by Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine trailer shows Mark’s career as a brutal MMA and UFC fighter whose personal life begins to crumble around him as he prepares for one of the biggest fights of his career.
By the looks of the trailer, this film is sure to be a tear jerker.
The trailer begins with Mark sitting in a doctor’s waiting room where he’s kindly sharing words with an older woman who’s curious about his bruised eyes. “Do you hate each other when you fight?” she asks him, to which he responds with sincere conviction, “Absolutely not,” as the trailer cuts to him whaling on someone in the ring.
Johnson is reunited with his Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt, who plays his supportive girlfriend Dawn Staples. But their relationship is on the rocks as Mark’s addiction and commitment to fighting begin to take over his life.
The new A24 film appears to be a dramatized take on the 2002 HBO documentary of the same name, which explores his substance abuse as well as his friendship with MMA fighter Mark Coleman.
The Smashing Machine marks a rather drastic shift in Johnson’s career. The blockbuster star – who is best known for popcorn action movies like Black Adam and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – has said before that he took on the project as a way of challenging himself as an actor.
“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,” he said in a 2024 interview with Variety.
Could Mark Kerr be the role that earns Johnson the first Academy Award of his career? There’s no guarantee; Safdie’s last directorial project, Uncut Gems, earned quite a bit of Oscar buzz for Adam Sandler but did not earn him a Best Actor nomination.
The Smashing Machine premieres in theaters October 3.
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