It was only a few short weeks ago that we shared word that Josh Safdie is gearing up to make his solo directorial debut with Timothée Chalamet starring ping-pong flick Marty Supreme. But as something begins for one Safdie, something has just finished for another. Per Deadline's reporting, Josh's brother Benny Safdie has just wrapped production on his A24 MMA movie The Smashing Machine with Dwayne Johnson, and scored a load of international distribution deals to celebrate. And good news for us UK cineastes — Entertainment Film Distributors have snapped up distribution rights for the film here in Blighty!
Written, directed, and produced by Safdie, The Smashing Machine — which takes its name from a 2003 HBO documentary about MMA fighter Mark Kerr — will see Dwayne Johnson take on the role of UFC legend Kerr. Fitting well within Safdie's milieu of high-pressure, high-intensity character studies of men on the edge, the fighting drama is set to explore both the peaks of two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion Kerr's heyday, as well as his struggles with addiction and in his relationship with girlfriend-turned-wife-turned-ex-wife Dawn Staples. In an unexpected but very welcome Jungle Cruise reunion, Emily Blunt — whose meeting Safdie whilst shooting Oppenheimer wound up renewing the filmmaker's efforts to get the project off the ground with Johnson — will take on the role of Dawn in the film.
For Johnson, whose most recent screen appearances have largely come from his seismic return to WWE's squared circle under his The Rock moniker, The Smashing Machine has more than lived up to its title. Back in June, the Moana star posted a clip on Instagram sharing some of the bumps he's taken to bring Mark Kerr's story to the screen. We'll find out whether his pain is our gain when The Smashing Machine hits US cinemas in 2025, and UK cinemas (presumably) soon after. Smashing stuff!