Dwayne Johnson and Benny Safdie Reunite for The Smashing Machine Follow-Up

According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Dwayne Johnson is returning to independent cinema following his collaboration with Benny Safdie on The Smashing Machine. Deadline reports that shortly after the buzz from The Smashing Machine at the Venice Film Festival—where Safdie won Best Director—the two are teaming up again on a new project titled Lizard Music. Safdie will write and direct the film.

The movie is based on the 1976 young adult science-fiction novel by Daniel Pinkwater. The story follows a boy who stays up late watching television and suddenly stumbles upon a program where lizards have formed a rock band. On his journey to uncover the truth, he meets the “Chicken Man,” played by Johnson, who already knows about the existence of these lizards.

While playing an MMA fighter in the biographical drama The Smashing Machine may have seemed like a natural fit, Johnson—after earning critical praise—appears more willing to embrace challenging roles, saying yes to portraying the eccentric “Chicken Man.” In addition to starring, he will also serve as a producer through his Seven Bucks Productions company.