Dwayne Johnson has been playing the very similar character of the powerhouse for years with a dose of humor and a big heart in his films. Gone seemed to be the days when he showed completely different sides and seemed to take risks in a crazy work like “Southland Tales”, a comedy like “Be Cool” or even in Michael Bay’s satire “Pain & Gain”. But that’s about to change, as fans recently excitedly discovered. One of Dwayne Johnson’s next projects will be “The crushing machine“.
The life story of mixed martial arts fighting machine Mark Kerr and his battle with painkiller addiction is a far cry from any of the blockbusters Johnson has recently shot. It is a prestige project, directed by “The Black Diamond” director Benny Safdie and produced by film company A24 (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”). It’s one of those works that could definitely play a role at the Oscars. And this film actually only became reality thanks to Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’. Johnson has now revealed this .
Emily Blunt told Johnson, “You have to make this movie!”
The superstar spoke for a profile about Benny Safdie about the upcoming collaboration. He revealed that he and director Safdie actually collaborated on ‘The Smashing Machine’ in 2019. But then Corona struck and the project was put on hold for the time being. Because both Johnson and Safdie were very busy, they lost contact with each other. But the ‘Red Notice’ star says she thinks about ‘The Smashing Machine’ every day – and this is where ‘Oppenheimer’, or rather Emily Blunt, comes into play.
During a phone call with his ‘Jungle Cruise’ colleague and close friend, he mentioned ‘The Smashing Machine’ in a conversation about dream projects. He sent Blunt a documentary of the same name, which will serve as the basis for the feature film, and she then told him: “You have to make this film!”
Dwayne Johnson: ‘Maybe I was an asshole’
Coincidentally, Blunt and Johnson never spoke on the phone at any point. The conversation took place while Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ was being filmed. As is known, the actress worked there with Benny Safdie (see also our article image), but Dwayne Johnson did not know that. The day after the phone call with Johnson, Blunt spoke to Safdie about the colleague and that got the project underway.
According to the “Jumanji” star, it was It was “a coincidence of fate and irony” that Emily Blunt was on the set of “Oppenheimer” with Benny Safdie at the time and that their two conversations brought the two men back together in the first place. Would they have done it differently? Johnson seems to have his doubts:
“Benny thought I was ghosting him and maybe I was an asshole. I felt so bad.”
Johnson: New Directions with “The Smashing Machine”
Dwayne Johnson certainly sees ‘The Smashing Machine’ as a turning point in his career. The ex-wrestler, also known as The Rock, reveals that he wants to “challenge myself in ways that I haven’t done in the past.” The project has already been described by him and distributor A24 as “the most dramatic project and role to date” in his career.
There won’t be a complete abolition of blockbusters, because he loves making these types of films for the general public. But “I’m at this point in my career where I want more,” Johnson explains why a risky project like ‘The Smashing Machine’ appeals to him and is perhaps the most important film of his career.
And this is only possible thanks to Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and especially thanks to Emily Blunt, who was in the right place at the right time and brought together the two men who had lost touch. It is not yet known when “The crushing machine” should appear. We can only hope that nothing more happens that causes Johnson and Safdie to lose sight of each other again. Otherwise Emily Blunt will have to go again…