Dwayne Johnson is to produce and star in ‘Smashing Machine’, a biopic of retired UFC fighter Mark Kerr.
Dwayne made his name as The Rock when he competed as a wrestler in WWE but will enter the world of mixed martial arts with the feature of Kerr, a pioneering fighter who was widely regarded as the world’s best during his career.
Dwayne announced the project during an appearance at a UFC pre-fight press conference.
The 47-year-old actor said: “Mark Kerr’s story is such an incredible story. Here’s a guy who won the two-time heavyweight tournament in the early stages of UFC, and here’s also a guy who also went over to PRIDE. He had this incredible run, as many of these warriors have, and I wanted to shine a spotlight on this man.”
The film will mark a shift from Dwayne’s usual roles in action and comedy features, as Kerr struggled with an addiction to painkillers, which was detailed in the 2003 documentary ‘Smashing Machine’, which was Kerr’s nickname.
Dwayne added: “I think what’s interesting about Mark Kerr’s story is, yes, he achieved so much in his life, he was a Smashing Machine, undefeated for a long time. But also like all of us and like a lot of these fighters, he battled these demons. These demons of addiction, these demons of mental health and the pressure of fighting in front of thousands of people and what that does to somebody.
“So here’s a guy who has gone through it all and hit rock bottom, but the best part about Mark Kerr – and like all of these fighters by the way, all these warriors – every day you get up and you want to do a little bit better tomorrow than you did today.”
No studio is attached as yet, but Dwayne is developing the idea his studio, Seven Bucks Productions.
