A24 has dropped the first trailer for The Smashing Machine, the upcoming biopic starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Written and directed by Benny Safdie, the film also stars Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk.

The studio’s logline for the film is brief, just dubbing it “the story of legendary mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr.” Blunt will portray Kerrs’s wife, Dawn Staples

Who was Mark Kerr?

Per our Blavity’s Shadow and Act’s report in 2023, the film is a biopic about Kerr, a MMA champion who, according to a prior studio description, “struggles with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.”

Kerr is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion. He has also won the World Vale Tudo Championship tournament, the NCAA National Wrestling Championship, National Freestyle Championship, the ADCC World Submission Championship and the PRIDE FC Heavyweight Championship.

When is ‘The Smashing Machine’ in theaters?

Safdie executive produces through Out for the Count, while Eli Bush and David Kopland also executive produce. A24 produces with Johnson and Dany Garcia under their Seven Bucks Productions banner

The film has an awards-friendly release date of Oct. 3.

Watch the trailer below:

The Smashing Machine

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