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The Rock announced:
"Benny Safdie’s THE SMASHING MACHINE will have its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival this fall.
this is all very surreal, and humbling thank you all for your incredibly warm support for our film
See you soon Venice."
The film has a theatrical release date of October 3.
Their report notes, "Pic follows Kerr (Johnson) from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career as he questions himself and struggles with life and his relationships. Meanwhile, Mark’s girlfriend Dawn Staples (Blunt) struggles as well to find her place in Mark’s chaotic and contradictory world."
he film is an adaptation of the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr.
Mark Kerr won two UFC Heavyweight Tournaments, competed in the PRIDE Fighting Championship, was a NCAA Division I champion and a World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner over the course of his MMA career. The 2002 documentary was acclaimed at the time of its release:
Johnson announced he would be portraying Kerr back in November 2019, but the project was obviously delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rock's production company Seven Bucks is producing. Emily Blunt, who worked with The Rock on Disney's Jungle Cruise, portrays Kerr's wife, Dawn Staples.
Benny Safdie, who co-directed and co-wrote the great Adam Sandler crime thriller Uncut Gems, wrote the screenplay and is directing The Smashing Machine.
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