A24 has unveiled the first official trailer for The Smashing Machine, a gritty biographical sports drama starring Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr, the former NCAA wrestling champion and mixed martial arts pioneer whose career was as tumultuous as it was legendary.
The film is written, directed, co-produced, and co-edited by Benny Safdie, one half of the acclaimed Safdie Brothers (Uncut Gems). Joining Johnson on screen is Emily Blunt, who plays Dawn Staples, Kerr’s then-wife and emotional anchor during the fighter’s turbulent years.
Mark Kerr, known in his prime as “The Smashing Machine,” dominated early no-holds-barred MMA tournaments in the late 1990s, particularly in the UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan. A formidable force in the ring with a background in collegiate wrestling—where he was a two-time NCAA Division I champion at Syracuse University—Kerr’s explosive career was ultimately undermined by a long struggle with opioid addiction and mental health issues. His life was previously chronicled in the 2002 HBO documentary of the same name.
The upcoming feature aims to bring Kerr’s complex story to the big screen, exploring both his brutal athletic triumphs and the personal demons that led to his downfall.
Rounding out the cast are Lyndsey Gavin, Ukrainian boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, MMA fighters Ryan Bader and Bas Rutten, and Zoe Kosovic.
Filming took place across international locations including New Mexico, Tokyo, and Vancouver. The film was shot on 16mm film by cinematographer Maceo Bishop, known for his recent collaboration with Safdie on Showtime’s “The Curse” (2023–2024). The musical score was composed by Belgian artist Nala Sinephro, bringing a distinctively atmospheric sound to the raw and emotional narrative.
The Smashing Machine is slated for theatrical release on October 3, 2025.
