And the Oscar goes to… The Rock?!
Dana White, the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship, believes we could all hear that phrase once fans and critics get a glimpse of The Smashing Machine, a film based on the like of MMA legend Mark Kerr.
Dwayne Johnson, best known by the WWE Universe as The Rock, will portray Kerr in the biopic appropriately named after the two-time UFC heavyweight tournament winner’s moniker. Though the film is not scheduled for release until sometime in 2025, the hype train is already full steam ahead courtesy of a few promotional pics showing Johnson’s incredible transformation into the embattled MMA icon.
“I don’t know if you saw it, but he was showing on his Instagram the other day that he messed up his elbow,” White told Collider. “The Rock will kill this. He will nail this role. I know how serious he’s taking this, I know who’s working with him, and I know how hard he’s working on this film. I think that this could be the opportunity for The Rock to actually be nominated for an Oscar.”
The Smashing Machine is directed by Benny Safdie, the man behind the critically acclaimed 2019 film Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler.
Ryan Bader and Oleksandr Usyk join The Rock in The Smashing Machine
Recent additions to the cast of The Smashing Machine include Ryan Bader as former UFC and PRIDE star Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman and undisputed heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk as Ukrainian mixed martial artist and kickboxer Igor Vovchanchyn.
Check out some behind-the-scenes stills from The Smashing Machine below:
