Overview

• The biographical sports drama premiered in Berlin on September 22 as its theatrical rollout begins in early October.
• Johnson portrays real-life UFC champion Mark Kerr, with Emily Blunt as Kerr’s partner Dawn, in a story set in the late 1990s.
• Director Benny Safdie focuses the film on Kerr’s struggle with painkillers and the pressures of elite competition between 1997 and 2000.
• Johnson detailed a demanding transformation for the role, including adding roughly 15 kilograms, extensive daily makeup and facial prosthetics.
• The film earned strong reception at its festival debut in Venice earlier this month, building momentum into its October 2 opening.