Dwayne Johnson Stars as UFC Champion Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s Biopic ‘The Smashing Machine’

A24 has unveiled the first trailer for ‘The Smashing Machine,’ a dramatic biopic about UFC heavyweight legend Mark Kerr, directed by Benny Safdie in his solo directorial debut. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, who undergoes a striking transformation to portray Kerr, highlighting both the athlete’s career achievements and personal struggles. Emily Blunt co-stars as Dawn Staples, Kerr’s wife, with a supporting cast including Bas Rutten, Lyndsey Gavin, and Oleksandr Usyk. This marks the second collaboration between Johnson and Blunt following their 2021 film ‘Jungle Cruise.’ Safdie, best known for co-directing ‘Uncut Gems’ and ‘Good Time,’ both gritty character-driven stories, brings a similarly raw approach here. The narrative explores Kerr’s dominance in MMA from 1997 to 2009 and his battles with addiction and complex relationships, a theme first addressed in the 2002 HBO documentary of the same name. Johnson stated that he sought out this role to push himself as an actor and take on more emotionally challenging projects. The film is scheduled for theatrical release on October 3, 2025, and is produced by Johnson, Safdie, Dany Garcia, Eli Bush, Hiram Garcia, and David Koplan, with Tracey Landon serving as executive producer.