NEW YORK – International movie star and WWE legend Dwayne Johnson, aka “The Rock,” announced his latest big-screen project Friday, a movie biopic recounting the rollercoaster career of one of MMA’s early-era stars, “The Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr.
Ohio-born Kerr was a force of nature in his prime. He captured two UFC heavyweight tournament titles, winning the one-night events at UFC 14 and 15 in 1997 before heading to PRIDE and taking on the likes of Igor Vovchanchyn, Enson Inoue and Kazuyuki Fujita in Japan.
Kerr’s career was chronicled in HBO’s hard-hitting 2003 documentary “The Smashing Machine”, and now Johnson has announced he will play Kerr in a movie about his life.
“I’m proud to announce that myself and Seven Bucks Productions are going to make a film about the life of one of your founding fathers, one of the pioneering founding fathers, ‘The Smashing Machine’ Mark Kerr,” he told fans and media during a press conference following the UFC 244 weigh-ins at Madison Square Garden.
“Mark Kerr’s story is such an incredible story,” Johnson added. “Here’s a guy who won the two-time heavyweight tournament in the early stages of the UFC. And here’s also a guy who also went over to PRIDE. He had this incredible run, as many of these warriors have, and I wanted to shine a spotlight on this man.
“Also, what I think is interesting about Mark’s story is, yes, he achieved so much in his life. He was ‘The 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 20, 30, 40, 50,000 people and what that does to somebody.
“So 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 like these fighters, by the way, is every day you get up and you want to do a little bit better tomorrow than you did today.”
Johnson explained that he knew of Kerr’s career during his wrestling days and, after learning more about his story through the HBO documentary, the seed was planted that eventually led to him doing a deal to make the movie of his life.
“I was really moved by Mark’s life and moved by his story,” Johnson said. “And at that time, in the mid to late 90’s, when I was cresting in the world of professional wrestling and in the WWE, we had a lot of guys who fought in the UFC, went over to PRIDE. We had a lot of friends.
“Mark and I were training kinda in the same circles at that time, out on the West Coast in L.A. So, yes, it’s a dramatic role, but Mark lived a dramatic life and again, it’s an opportunity to shine the light on one of our warriors who not only deserves it, and also has this universal appeal and universal story.
“This guy was a beast, and he was dominant, and there was only one like him at that time. When you think about these fighters, these warriors, there’s no other sport like MMA, with the multiple disciplines, and the pressure and the fact that you put your life on the line, literally, every time you step in the cage, step in an octagon, step in a ring. So Mark’s story is one of those stories that I want to tell. And when you think about these warriors, they speak a different language and if you dig a little deeper, the physicality that they have, there’s a real character of depth to a lot of these warriors, and Mark is one of them, and I’m really excited about it.”
Johnson said that Kerr would be a part of the project moving forward, and that he has built up a bond with the early UFC star as they’ve discussed the project and Kerr’s story. Now the man who is known for playing light-hearted, action-movie roles is ready for the first hard-hitting character role of his acting career, and he couldn’t be prouder.
“I talked with Mark today, and Mark is a special dude and is really overwhelmed that this is happening, and I love that he trusts me with his life and with his story,” Johnson said. “I told him I was going to come and make the announcement to our MMA world and the fans, and he said something pretty cool. He said: ‘Well, tell everyone that I love them,’ but he also said ‘I don’t have the language to express how just how grateful I am that you’re sharing this story.’ So I thought that was really cool and beautiful, and I can’t wait.”
The Rock to star in biopic of UFC pioneer Mark 'The Smashing Machine' Kerr
