Dwayne Johnson Goes Dramatic in Trailer for A24 Film ‘The Smashing Machine’

Dwayne Johnson is taking a prestige swing in the new A24 drama “The Smashing Machine,” and the first trailer for the film shows the blockbuster movie star conjuring a performance of a very different sort.

Johnson plays UFC legend Mark Kerr in the biographical drama, which charts the up-and-down career of the mixed martial arts fighter during the no-holds-barred era of the UFC alongside his girlfriend, played by Emily Blunt.

The film is written and directed by Benny Safdie, one half of the Safdie Brothers directing duo, who gained acclaim with their gritty, stress-inducing films “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems.”

The movie also marks something of a pivot for Johnson, whose career was built on positioning himself as a movie star and who has almost exclusively played heroes (or anti-heroes, in the case of Black Adam) for the last decade. He appears to be putting in the work — the performance is somewhat transformative, with Johnson even donning an accent. He also disappears into the role thanks to makeup by Kazu Hiro, the Oscar-winning prosthetics guru behind Gary Oldman’s transformation in “Darkest Hour” and Bradley Cooper in “Maestro.”

This isn’t Johnson’s first brush with drama — he earned positive notices for his turn in Michael Bay’s 2013 crime film “Pain & Gain” and one of his earliest acting roles was in 2007’s “Southland Tales.”

A24 will release “The Smashing Machine” only in theaters on Oct. 3.

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