Thanks to his background in professional wrestling, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s earliest screen credits include roles where he put his physicality at the forefront. From Walking Tall to Doom to Faster, Johnson had no problem channeling the requirements of an action star, making his integration into the Fast and Furious franchise with Fast Five seamless. Last year’s The Smashing Machine felt like the actor’s biggest test as a dramatic actor, as the project was less about highlighting his physicality and more about depicting the mental toll the world of mixed martial arts took on a real-life figure.
Johnson’s turn into the dramatic world largely paid off, as his performance in the A24 movie was what garnered The Smashing Machine the most praise, and he even earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. He might not have secured a coveted Oscar nomination, but the movie still marked a major step forward for his career. His next project, Free Byrd, sounds as though it will continue that dramatic trajectory for Johnson.
As revealed by Variety, Johnson is set to star in the movie about a motorcycle stuntman who attempts to hide his dementia diagnosis from everyone around him in an effort to make a final jump. The logline claims the movie “examines and confronts the mind’s vast mysteries and the beauty and power of asking for help before it’s too late.” Free Byrd will be directed by Greg Kwedar, who just scored Best Director Oscar nominations for Sing Sing and Train Dreams.
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“Free Byrd is a gift in many ways,” Johnson shared in a statement. “Emblematic of life’s sacred beauty, as well as life’s harsh and callous reality. The subject matter of Free Byrd has become deeply personal to Greg Kwedar and myself as we’ve started to unpack this fateful journey together. Artists Equity have been incredible filmmaking and artistic partners, who not only share Greg’s vision for the film, but who are all connected to our story in their own unique and personal ways. When the mind of a loved one begins to slip away, life sure takes on a whole new meaning.”
The project comes from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity. The studio previously delivered Air, Affleck’s movie about the development of Nike’s Air Jordan line, The Accountant 2, Affleck’s hitman thriller sequel, and this year’s The Rip, in which Damon and Affleck starred as crooked cops.
“This is a project that all of us at the company have connected with personally,” said Affleck and Damon, who serve as Artists Equity’s CEO and Chief Content Officer, respectively. “Greg is one of the most exciting writer-directors working today, and Dwayne is an extraordinary talent and person. We are extremely excited that they have chosen to make this with us and very much look forward to sharing the finished film with audiences.”
With Kwedar’s Train Dreams and Artists Equity’s The Rip being Netflix originals, it’s possible Free Byrd could be the next acquisition for the streamer whenever production completes.