Dwayne Johnson gets emotional as he talks about the possibility of an on-screen reunion with Emily Blunt in Benny Safdie's new mixed martial arts drama Smashing Machine. Johnson's comments: of variety Mark Malkin at the Oscars ceremony variety On the Carpet presented by DIRECTV.
Blunt is in talks to co-star with Johnson in a biopic about MMA and UFC champion Mark Carr, which will be Safdie's solo directorial debut. Blunt is being tipped to play Carr's wife, Dawn Staples.
Variety details
The film will reunite Blunt and Johnson, who co-starred in Disney's 2021 feature film Jungle Cruise, on screen. The film is an action comedy about the journey of a charismatic riverboat captain (Johnson) and a determined explorer (Blunt). Head into the Amazon jungle in search of a mysterious tree with healing powers. As for “The Smashing Machine,” Johnson said it will be “different” than the pair's first venture.
“It's very different from what we did on 'Jungle Cruise,' but I have to say there's no better partner in this industry than Emily that I'd want to tear this thing apart.” “It's going to cost a lot,” Johnson said. “This is A24 and I'll shoot it next. I can't wait.”
“Emily is one of my best friends and one of the greatest actresses of all time,” Johnson said of Blunt, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Kitty Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. It's clear that it is,” he added. She was nominated tonight. I'm very happy with her and all her “openomy”. ”
But Johnson didn't stop talking about a possible future collaboration with Blunt. Asked about the possibility of wearing an ascot and suspenders again for the Jungle Cruise sequel, Johnson replied: “Maybe.” At the end of the day, yes, I want to do it. Maybe you'll understand. ” It was announced about a month after the film was released in 2021 that a sequel was in development, but little has been revealed about the project since then.
best of variety
Sign up for Variety's newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
