Breaking: The Smashing Machine is back in the fight. The 2002 HBO documentary that shook up sports storytelling has reentered the spotlight, and the timing is no accident. I can confirm the original film is being pushed front and center as A24’s upcoming feature, also titled The Smashing Machine, lines up its next move with Dwayne Johnson in the lead. If you care about film, fame, and the price of greatness, this is the watch of the weekend.
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Why this story hits different right now
The name Mark Kerr still lands like a punch. He was the quiet destroyer of early MMA, a heavyweight who owned cages in the chaotic rise of UFC and PRIDE. John Hyams’ documentary caught him in full, raw light. Wins, injuries, painkillers, pressure. Nothing was polished. Everything was personal.
Now the story is getting a new life. A24’s scripted version is coming with Benny Safdie at the helm. Dwayne Johnson plays Kerr. Emily Blunt co-stars. First-look material teases a stripped-down Johnson, built not for swagger, but for truth. Expect sweat, tape, and silence, the kind that says more than any speech.
This is not just another sports movie. It is a collision of star power, art-house grit, and a true tale that already changed the game once.
Stream the original documentary first
If you plan to see the A24 film, the Hyams doc is your primer. It gives you the stakes, the scars, and the soul of the story. Watching it now will sharpen every scene later.
- It shows the birth of modern MMA, up close and unfiltered.
- It captures Kerr’s battle with pain and addiction, not as a twist, but as a life.
- It explains the money, the managers, and the body breakdown.
- It reveals how winning can feel like losing when the lights cut out.
Watch the documentary before the biopic. You will catch every detail the feature nods to, and every choice it reframes.
Johnson steps into Kerr’s world
Dwayne Johnson is not hiding behind charm here. He is stepping into a man who did not ask for fame, but carried it like extra weight. Johnson knows combat sports, and he knows performance. This role tests both. Benny Safdie, who thrives on pressure-cooker storytelling, is not chasing a highlight reel. He is chasing the truth of a life lived in pain and pursuit.
Emily Blunt’s presence signals something key. Kerr’s story is not only about blood and belts. It is about the people pulled into the storm. Expect the film to focus on intimacy, not just impact. The documentary set that tone first. The feature looks ready to honor it.
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Fans, fighters, and the culture at stake
The Smashing Machine shaped how outsiders saw MMA. It showed a sport that was still defining itself, long before big TV deals and glossy countdown shows. It let fans see the cost behind the roar. That view changed the conversation. It made MMA human.
Longtime followers still point to the doc as essential. Newer viewers are stunned by the access and the honesty. You feel the rooms. You feel the weight. You understand why champions sometimes look broken in victory photos.
This new biopic wave matters because it brings old truths to a new audience. It could be the bridge between two eras, the wild early days and the polished present. If done right, it will honor the documentary and stand beside it, not on top of it.
The documentary includes scenes of drug use, injury, and emotional distress. It is intense and real.
What to watch for in the doc, and how it sets up the film
As you press play, lock in on the human beats. The most important moments are not always in the cage.
- The quiet after the fight, when the adrenaline drains, and the pain sets in.
- The training room, where hope and fear share the same bench.
- The pull between love and legacy, and who pays the price.
- The handlers, the doctors, and the deal makers, all with skin in the game.
These threads are the map. They lead straight into what Johnson and Safdie will dramatize. The feature can build scenes, but the doc gives you the truth that scenes must answer to. That is why the rewatch lands so hard today. You are not just catching up. You are preparing.
Conclusion
The Smashing Machine is having a rare second life, and it has earned it. The documentary remains a landmark, raw and vital. The upcoming A24 film is poised to meet it with star power and craft. Start with the doc. Learn the man before you watch the myth get rebuilt. Then bring that knowledge into the theater. This is the story of a fighter, a moment, and a culture that grew up under bright lights, and paid for it in private. Press play. The bell just rang.
