The awards buzz is building around A24’s The Smashing Machine, and in particular around Dwayne Johnson’s performance. Hot off its Venice Film Festival Silver Lion win for Best Director, A24’s launched a new trailer for the possible awards-season contender.
Johnson stars as the legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr. The R-rated drama also stars Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk.
Benny Safdie wrote the screenplay, directs, edits, and produces. Additional producers include Dwayne Johnson, Eli Bush, Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, and David Koplan. Safdie’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Maceo Bishop, production designer James Chinlund, costume designer Heidi Bivens, and casting director Jennifer Venditti. The music is by Nala Sinephro.
The Smashing Machine will open in theaters on October 3, 2025.
This post was last modified on October 1, 2025 2:03 pm