Dwayne Johnson Trades WWE for UFC in First ‘The Smashing Machine’ Trailer
The Smashing Machine, the highly anticipated A24 film directed by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson, has just released its first trailer, presenting a look at an unrecognizable Johnson in the leading role. The Smashing Machine sees Johnson stepping into the shoes of Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter known as “The Smashing Machine”, as he became one of the biggest names in the sport. His career highlights include competing in top-tier promotions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships.
Johnson is looking to take a step in a more serious direction, following what could best be described as a decade or more as one of Hollywood’s go-to action stars, roles which don’t tend to allow for a lot of depth for those actors playing them, but this gives him a chance to silence his critics.
The film is directed by Benny Safdie, while Emily Blunt plays Kerr’s then-wife, Dawn Staples. The supporting cast includes Lyndsey Gavin as Elizabeth Coleman, Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman, Zoe Kosovic as McKenzie Coleman, and Bas Rutten appearing as himself. Other cast members include Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn, Paul Lazenby as Hans Nijman, James Moontasri as Akira Shoji, Yoko Hamamura as Kazuyuki Fujita, Paul Cheng as Masaaki Satake, and Andre Tricoteux as Paul Varelans.
UFC Chief Dana White Believes The Rock Could Win An Oscar For ‘The Smashing Machine’
There’s a huge amount of intrigue and attention from the world of combat sports in how the film presents a look at their sport. Dana White, the President and CEO of UFC, told Collider exclusively last year that he believed Johnson had a shot at awards glory for playing Kerr, having been given an up-close-and-personal view of his work put into the film.
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. This has been a passion project for him for a while, and he has 100% of the support from the UFC. Obviously, he’s a friend of mine, and this is his chance for an Oscar.
The Smashing Machine will open in theaters on October 3, 2025. Check out the trailer above, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the film.
- Release Date
-
October 3, 2025
- Director
-
Benny Safdie
- Writers
-
Benny Safdie
- Producers
-
Beau Flynn, David Koplan, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Tracey Landon
