In an Instagram post, The Rock shared a photo of himself in character as Kerr, who is the movie’s main character:

First look at Benny Safdie’s THE SMASHING MACHINE starring @TheRock and Emily Blunt. pic.twitter.com/GVC2XIHwGV

— A24 (@A24) May 21, 2024

The Smashing Machine will focus on the life and career of Kerr, who was an instrumental figure in the early days of UFC, winning the UFC 14 and UFC 15 heavyweight tournaments in 1997.

Per Zack Sharf of Variety, The Smashing Machine is the solo directing debut of A24’s Benny Safdie. Along with his brother, Josh Safdie, Benny previously directed hit movies Uncut Gems and Good Time.

Starring alongside The Rock in The Smashing Machine is actress Emily Blunt, who will play the role of Kerr’s wife.

Prior to breaking into MMA, Kerr was a Division I national champion wrestler at Syracuse University at 190 pounds. Kerr also performed well at multiple World Cups and world championships, and won a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games.

Kerr failed to qualify for the 1996 Summer Olympics, which prompted him to transition to the world of MMA.

He started with World Vale Tudo before making the move to UFC, Pride and several other MMA promotions.

Kerr began his career 12-0 and seemed unbeatable for a time, but he struggled from that point forward and retired with a career record of 15-11 with one no contest.

The Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions is co-producing The Smashing Machine with Safdie’s Out for the Count. A release date hasn’t yet been announced for the movie.

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