Overview

• Johnson told Variety he will play the Chicken Man and is actively dieting after previously bulking up for The Smashing Machine.
• He said the character’s build should be lean and sinewy, describing it as “Think Clint Eastwood at 75.”
• He reported feeling “much better,” joked he no longer looks “pregnant,” and said he can finally tuck in his shirt.
• He added that he is eating less chicken as part of the cut, a detail he shared during a Toronto Film Festival retrospective.
• Benny Safdie pitched the role after their Smashing Machine collaboration, and the project adapts Daniel Pinkwater’s novel about a boy’s bond with the eccentric Chicken Man.