A24 has dated Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine,” starring Dwayne Johnson, for October 3 theatrical release. That’s the same date “Michael” was supposed to launch, and right in the middle of fall festival movie season.
Based on what I’ve heard, this will be a tricky movie for A24 to market. By all accounts, ‘Smashing Machine’ is not a typical biopic, and is said to be “indescribable in tone and style.” You can read more details about it here.
The film is based on the life of MMA fighter Mark Kerr (Johnson). Kerr’s career peaked during the “no-holds-barred era of the UFC,” in the early 2000s. His life — filled with substance abuse addiction — was the topic of an insightful 2002 documentary, “The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr.”
Safdie’s film is set up on the calendar to have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, although I wouldn’t discount it skipping the Lido in favor of a less splashy, but no less honorable, premiere at NYFF.