Trailer Drops For The Smashing Machine, UFC Biopic Starring The Rock

A24's "The Smashing Machine" is set to release in theatres on October 3 and will follow the life of former professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, which will be played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The biopic looks to be much different than Johnson's previous roles, with his Hollywood career primarily consisting of animated and action-adventure films, whereas "The Smashing Machine" will arguably be The Rock's most dramatic work yet. On Tuesday morning, A24 released the trailer for Johnson's upcoming film, which outlines Kerr's emotional journey both inside and outside of the ring, as well as his relationship with his then-wife Dawn Staples, played by Academy Award Nominee Emily Blunt.

"The Smashing Machine" will focus on the true events through Kerr's rise to fame in the world of MMA, which was eventually hindered by his opioid addiction. Kerr also suffered from several mental health struggles, including challenges with depression, leading him to decide to step away from fighting all together in the late 2000s.

As seen in the trailer, Johnson makes an incredible transformation for "The Smashing Machine," becoming somewhat unrecognizable under the wig and prosthetics. In addition, playing Kerr was also more challenging than Johnson initially expected, as he was injured during filming last summer, revealing on Instagram that he sustained an elbow injury. "It looks like I have a cantaloupe in the bottom of my elbow. I got banged up pretty good today in our scenes. And there might be some soft tissue damage in there. That's a lot of fluid, we'll see. I gotta get it out of there first before I get any kind of MRI." 

In 2002, Kerr's life story was also covered in the documentary "The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr," which outlines the mental and physical battles fighters endure during their career.