A24’s The Smashing Machine drops first look at unrecognisable Dwayne Johnson

Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is an upcoming sports drama starring Dwyane Johnson as former wrestler and MMA artist Mark Kerr. The Rock is joined by none other than 2024 Oscar Award nominee Emily Blunt, who stars as his wife, Dawn Staples.

The movie, created by A24 alongside Seven Bucks production, does not have a release date thus far as the movie is still under production. However, it seems as if the shooting is going well on track, considering the recent release of the first-look image, which featured a completely unrecognizable Dwyane Johnson perched in the corner of an MMA ring.

Most obviously boasting a full hairline, The Rock has also seemingly undergone a comprehensive physical transformation, as he looks far from the muscular giant that fans are used to seeing.

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First-look photo of The Smashing Machine features an unrecognizable Dwyane Johnson

The movie, which is set to delve into the tumultuous and unsettled personal life of the MMA legend, will feature Dwyane Johnson as Mark Kerr. Kerr had an utterly impressive 27-15 record, which included seven knockouts. He was a two-time UFC heavyweight champion and also won the World Vale Tudo Championship. Kerr won a gold and silver medal at the World Cup, was a 4-time ADCC World Champion, and was also a talented boxer.

With Dwyane Johnson undergoing such an incredible transformation, fans are bound to have a range of expectations from the project. Although no release date has been announced thus far, the same can be expected to be confirmed sometime in the second half of 2024. For the time being, filming is expected to conclude by August 1, 2024.

Kerr, a legendary name in MMA, was born to an Irish father and a Puerto Rican mother. The first-look image sees Dwyane Johnson return in some ways to the kind of look that he sported back during his early WWE days. The Rock was also seen in the picture without his signature tattoos, which can be assumed to have been taken off digitally for the movie.

Johnson, who has amassed an impressive Hollywood portfolio, has largely been seen in comedic or action roles and has also proved his talent as a voice actor in movies such as Moana and Free Guy. He was most recently seen in Fast X, but is undergoing a huge change with respect to his overall career. The Rock will be seen in arguably his most serious role thus far, and fans will undoubtedly be excited to see his take on Mark Kerr.

Helmed by a talented director in the form of Benny Safdie, the movie also stars Emily Blunt, who can be seen in the bottom right of the image, looking on at Mark Kerr, who is surrounded by his team and is seemingly focused on his bout. Regardless, the movie itself has not seen too many details released about it thus far.

That can be expected to change in the coming weeks as it stumbles through the production processes. Fans can expect further updates as we anticipate a potential release date announcement.