Emily Blunt is reportedly being eyed to star alongside Dwayne Johnson in Benny Safdie and A24’s The Smashing Machine.
According to Jeff Sneider’s The Insneider, Blunt is currently in negotiations to star in The Smashing Machine. The movie, directed by Safdie, stars Johnson as UFC fighter Mark Kerr.
Sneider reports that Blunt will likely play Kerr’s ex-wife, Dawn Staples; although, it’s possible that should could be playing his current wife, Franci Alberding.
Blunt and Johnson both starred as Dr. Lily Houghton and Frank Wolff in Jungle Cruise, the 2021 movie directed by Jaume Collet-Serra that’s based on the Walt Disney theme park ride. Blunt and Safdie also both played sizable roles in 2023’s Oppenheimer, which was directed by Christopher Nolan.
What do we know about The Smashing Machine?
Announced in 2023, The Smashing Machine is being produced by Johnson, Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions banner, Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, Eli Bush, and David Koplan.
“The Smashing Machine is a drama based on the story of Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career,” reads the film’s description. “He struggles with addiction, winning, love, and friendship in the year 2000.”
Johnson told Variety about the movie in January 2024, “Benny wants to create, and continues to push the envelope when it comes to stories that are raw and real, characters that are authentic and at times uncomfortable and arresting. I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past. I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.”
The Smashing Machine does not yet have a release date from A24.
