Dwayne Johnson talks about his weight loss for Lizard Music; Jumanji 3 begins filming in November 2025
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Dwayne Johnson explained at the Toronto Festival why he has lost weight. “The Rock” says he accepted this “transformation” to play a character called “Chicken Man” in Lizard Music, directed by Benny Safdie, and that he is “excited” about the director’s latest film, The Smashing Machine.
The 53-year-old actor played an MMA fighter in The Smashing Machine, but his new appearance has become a subject of jokes on social media. Based on unofficial reports, he has lost nearly 27 kilograms, going from 136 kilograms down to 108 kilograms.
Johnson said in Toronto on Monday that for the role of the seventy-something “Chicken Man” he must lose even more weight: “Benny offered me this role after The Smashing Machine wrapped, and about 45 minutes later the offer was finished, and I thought: ‘I am Chicken Man.’ Without giving away the story, I can say that the character I play is a haunted, eccentric man in his seventies named ‘Chicken Man,’ and his best friend is a seventy-year-old chicken.”
The Fast and Furious actor says he is still some distance from the role: “There’s still a long way to go. I’m happy and I hope I can transform again like I did in The Smashing Machine. That means eating less chicken.”
He added in another part of the interview that Jumanji 3 will begin filming this November. It had previously been announced that Johnson, along with Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan, will return for this sequel directed by Jake Kasdan, which is scheduled for release in December 2026.
Lizard Music is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Daniel Pinkwater, and its release date has not yet been announced.
