Emily Blunt is in talks to star opposite Dwayne Johnson in A24’s The Smashing Machine, which is written and directed by Benny Safdie.

The Smashing Machine will depict the life of Mark Kerr, a heavyweight MMA fighter and two-time UFC champion. Kerr endured a battle with drug addiction and painkillers throughout his career, and the film is expected to feature this addiction as one of its main aspects. If the deal closes, Blunt will portray Dawn Staples, Kerr's wife. The title of the film refers to Kerr's well-publicized nickname in the ring.

The project would reunite Blunt with both Safdie, with whom she starred in Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer", and Johnson, her co-star from Disney’s 2021 film "Jungle Cruise".

Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions will produce alongside Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, Eli Bush and David Koplan.

Following Jungle Cruise’s runaway success back in 2021, Disney quickly greenlit a sequel, but almost three years later, we’ve yet to hear about much movement on it. Instead, we’ve heard about multiple other projects for which Johnson and Blunt have been trying to reunite. Back in 2022, it was reported that the pair were signing up for a movie called Ball And Chain, where they’d play a married couple who get superpowers amidst plans to divorce.

Source: Press Release