Dwayne Johnson has announced his next big role—and it sounds like it'll be a dramatic one.
Ahead of the UFC 244 weigh-ins at Madison Square Garden, Johnson revealed he will star in a biopic about UFC legend Mark Kerr. The 47-year-old actor said he was drawn to Kerr's story after watching the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr, which explored the early stages of the brutal sport as well as Kerr's battle with addiction.
"I wanted to shed a spotlight on this man," Johnson said after listing some of Kerr's accomplishments. "What I think is so 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, these demons of getting out and the pressure of fighting in front of 50,000 people and what that does to somebody. Here's a guy who has gone through it all, hit rock bottom. But the best part about Mark Kerr is that, like all of us in this room and all these fighters, these warriors, is that every day, we get up and we want to do a little bit better tomorrow than we did today."
Johnson will produce the film through his Seven Bucks Productions company, alongside Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Beau Flynn. The actor told Variety that Kerr has given the project his blessing and was thankful that his story is being shared once again.
"He's overwhelmed that this is happening," Johnson said. "And I love that he trusts me with his life and with his story."
No other details about the Kerr film have been revealed. Variety reports the movie is in early development and is not yet attached to a studio. Keep it locked as more information rolls through.
