News

Dwayne Johnson looks almost unrecognizable in the first look for his new movie The Smashing Machine, according to Vanity Fair.

The upcoming biographical sports drama is written, directed, co-produced, and edited by Benny Safdie. Johnson stars as former amateur wrestler and Mma fighter Mark Kerr, while Emily Blunt plays Kerr’s then-wife, Dawn Staples. The film also features Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk in supporting roles.

Via Vanity Fair

The film is set to premiere in the main competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2025, where it is nominated for the Golden Lion.

It will also screen at the Toronto International Film Festival on September...

Dwayne Johnson looks nearly unrecognizable in the first look for his upcoming film The Smashing Machine, according to Vanity Fair. The movie is a biographical sports drama written, directed, co-produced, and edited by Benny Safdie.

Johnson stars as former amateur wrestler and Mma fighter Mark Kerr, with Emily Blunt playing Kerr’s then-wife Dawn Staples. The film also features Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk in supporting roles.

Via Vanity Fair

The Smashing Machine is set to have its world premiere in competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2025, where it is nominated for the Golden Lion. It will also screen at the Toronto International Film...

The Zurich Film Festival has set the first crop of its gala titles for this year’s event, which runs from September 25 to October 5.

Titles include Benny Safdie’s latest feature, The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson. The Rock is Mma fighter Mark Kerr. The film’s synopsis reads: Kerr, an icon of the early UFC era, stands at the peak of his career while teetering on the edge of destruction – a life caught between fame and self-destruction. Former Playboy model and Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt, tries to support him through all the setbacks, but finds herself pushed to her own limits.

Also screening is Hedda, the latest film from Nia DaCosta. The film is described as a provocative, modern reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play. Hedda (Tessa Thompson) finds herself torn between the lingering ache of a past love and the...

Long before Steve Martin and Martin Short were Arconia neighbors and murder-solving buddies, they were two-thirds of the Three Amigos! That classic Western comedy, the first installment of what would become a long and fruitful partnership, has a new streaming home next month, and you'll be able to stream it for free. The film will premiere on the free, ad-supported streaming service Pluto starting on August 1.

The film was an unusual collaboration between Martin, Saturday Night Live head honcho Lorne Michaels, and musician Randy Newman, who co-wrote the script. It went through various iterations, with Steven Spielberg at one point attached to direct, and a variety of actors, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Robin Williams, slated to star. Eventually, Martin was set to star with SNL alum Chevy Chase and Short; the latter was recommended by his Sctv co-star John Candy. Directorial duties were handled by John Landis, and at one point,...

Dwayne Johnsonis among the few actors who have successfully transitioned from a wrestling career to acting. Johnson has given us some amazing action movies, some feel-good ones, and now he’s hell bent on cementing his acting prowess with the upcoming Bennie Safdie’s biographical sports drama The Smashing Machine. The movie will make its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival this Fall.

To mark the occasion A24 has unveiled a new look at Johnson and Emily Blunt. Fans have seen Johnson’s transformation as wrestler Mark Kerr in the ring but the new image gives us a peak into the dynamics between Kerr and his then-wife Dawn Staples (Blunt) as they walk hand in hand in a market. While Johnson looks like a man on a mission, Blunt gives him an admiring look.

Dwayne Johnson Has Worked Very Hard for ‘The Smashing Machine'Image via A24

The...

“The Smashing Machine” is a new biographical sports drama feature, written and directed by Benny Safdie, starring Dwayne Johnson as former wrestler, ‘Mma’ fighter ‘Mark Kerr’, with Emily Blunt as Kerr's then-wife ‘Dawn Staples’, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk, releasing October 3, 2025 in theaters:

“…during his ‘Mma’ career, ‘Mark Kerr’ was a two-time ‘UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion’, ‘World Vale Tudo Championship’ tournament winner.

“In collegiate wrestling, Kerr was an ‘NCAA Division I’ champion. In freestyle wrestling, he won gold and silver medals at the ‘World Cup’ and silver at the ‘Pan American Games’.

“In submission wrestling, Kerr is a four-time ‘Adcc World Champion’, winning his weightclass twice along with the absolute division and the ‘Superfight Championship’.”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Dwayne Johnson may be playing Mark Kerr in A24’s upcoming biopic “The Smashing Machine,” but now the actor is even taking an active part in the Mma legend’s legacy.

That’s because The Rock was on hand to help induct Kerr into the UFC Hall of Fame on Thursday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas alongside co-star Emily Blunt. Kerr is now the 21st member of the sport’s Pioneer Era Wing.

Johnson stars as the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament champion in Benny Safdie’s sports drama, which is set to premiere this October. Meanwhile, Blunt portrays Kerr’s then-girlfriend Dawn Staples, with a cast that also includes Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk.

Director Safdie also wrote, produced and edited the film. Additional producers include Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Eli Bush and David Koplan.

A24 has described the film as “a drama based on the story of Mark Kerr,...

Dwayne Johnson is one of the most successful wrestlers turned actors in the business. While he'll always have a special place in WWE fans' hearts as "The Rock," he cooked up an acting career that is just as iconic. Johnson is set to star in two upcoming A24 films, The Smashing Machine and Breakthrough, the latter of which has apparently found its director. According to Deadline, Darren Aronofsky is following up his impessive work on The Whale, which won Brendan Fraser an Oscar, and is in early conversations about being a part of the film. Although sources told the publication that it's early, Breakthrough would be Aronofsky's return to working with the company since the 2022 psychological drama.

A24 didn't comment, but the company will produce and finance the film, and Breakthrough's plot is just as interesting as this news. The film follows an alienated young man influenced by a motivational guru.

It seems like Dwayne Johnson is saying goodbye to his days of solely being known as an action hero and embracing his new acting era. He recently worked with A24 on the Mma movie The Smashing Machine, releasing later this year, and now he will team up with the indie studio once again for a psychological thriller titled Breakthrough.

According to Deadline, the new thriller is from Zeke Goodman, who previously starred in Amazon's short-lived I Know What You Did Last Summer series and the streamer's take on Cruel Intentions.

The film sounds a little bit like some of the other movies we've seen produced by A24, such as The Menu and Opus. It follows "an alienated young man who comes under the influence of a motivational guru, whose intoxicating charm masks his morally questionable methods of manipulation and his own concealed darkness."

Johnson will reportedly be playing the guru role,...

Fresh off the mind-boggling trailer for The Smashing Machine, Dwayne Johnson is set to stay in the A24 machine with an upcoming psychological thriller. Johnson will be playing a motivational guru whose morally questionable methods come to light when mentoring an alienated young man.

According to Deadline, Dwayne Johnson is set to play a supporting role in Breakthrough, a psychological thriller written by actor-writer Zeke Goodman (Cruel Intentions). His character is a "motivational guru" in southern California who appears to be the film's villain, a potentially sinister mentor to an impressionable young man seeking guidance. While Johnson has nabbed the supporting part, the lead role has yet to be determined. Additionally, A24 has yet to hire a director, but with Johnson now on board, that process should materialize sooner rather than later. The plot synopsis, as provided by Deadline:

"Set in turn-of-the-millennium Southern California, the story follows an alienated young...

Get ready to smell what The Rock is cookin’—and this time, it’s not in the wrestling ring! Dwayne Johnson, who returned to the world of WWE in 2024, is now trading smackdowns for something more dramatic (and a lot more intense) in his upcoming A24 biopic, The Smashing Machine. Well, our favorite eyebrow-raising icon is stepping into the shoes of real-life Mma legend Mark Kerr.

Directed by Benny Safdie (the man behind Uncut Gems), and joined by Johnson’s former co-star Emily Blunt as his wife, The Smashing Machine promises blood, sweat, and serious acting chops. Plus, fans are freaking out over The Rock’s transformation—thick black hair and an unrecognizable look! Curious yet? Check out everything we know so far about the film.

When is The Smashing Machine releasing?

For everyone upset with The Rock’s surprising absence from WrestleMania 41, let’s give you something to rejoice.

“The Smashing Machine” is a new biographical sports drama feature, written and directed by Benny Safdie, starring Dwayne Johnson as former wrestler, ‘Mma’ fighter ‘Mark Kerr’, with Emily Blunt as Kerr's then-wife ‘Dawn Staples’, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk, releasing October 3, 2025 in theaters:

“…during his ‘Mma’ career, ‘Mark Kerr’ was a two-time ‘UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion’, ‘World Vale Tudo Championship’ tournament winner.

“In collegiate wrestling, Kerr was an ‘NCAA Division I’ champion. In freestyle wrestling, he won gold and silver medals at the ‘World Cup’ and silver at the ‘Pan American Games’.

“In submission wrestling, Kerr is a four-time ‘Adcc World Champion’, winning his weightclass twice along with the absolute division and the ‘Superfight Championship’.”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Could this be the year that Dwayne Johnson gets an Oscar nomination?!

The 52-year-old actor, also known by his wrestling name of The Rock, is going back to his roots to play legendary mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr in the upcoming movie The Smashing Machine.

Dwayne reunites with his former Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt in the upcoming film, written and directed by Benny Safdie. The movie also stars Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk.

The Smashing Machine will be released by A24, the studio behind movies such as Everything Everywhere All at Once, Uncut Gems, Midsommar, and Moonlight.

The trailer for the movie is out now and the film will be hitting theaters on October 3. While filming the movie, Dwayne suffered an elbow injury and revealed the damage in a video.

Dwayne Johnson transforms into UFC fighter Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s new drama. More on The Smashing Machine below.

Dwayne Johnson is getting back in the ring. Not a WWE ring, but a UFC one. Johnson, a former wrestler, stars as Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s latest drama for A24, and we’ve got our very first trailer for the film.

Take a look at The Smashing Machine trailer below.

The film takes its name from a nickname given to Kerr for his (painful sounding) fighting style. Judging from the trailer, The Smashing Machine will chart the fighter’s career’s ups and downs, including his struggles with addiction.

Johnson is joined by his Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn Staples. Ryan Bader, Oleksandr Usyk, Whitney Moore and Bas Rutten, a former Mma fighter himself, round out the film’s cast.

Safdie, making...

The official trailer has been released for The Smashing Machine. The film presents Dwayne Johnson in a more dramatic role, transforming the action movie star into real-life UFC legend Mark Kerr.

From A24 and filmmaker Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine also stars Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt. The film, which is set to be released in October, has only unveiled a few sneak peek images previously. In the new trailer, footage of Johnson looking more unrecognizable than ever before helps set the tone for what filmgoers can expect from The Smashing Machine. The trailer can be watched below.

Mark Kerr, who The Rock portrays in the film, is a former UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion and decorated boxer. His career as a professional fighter lasted from 1997 to 2009. The Smashing Machine will focus on Kerr at the peak of his career while also detailing his personal struggles outside of the octagon with his then-wife,...

Hollywood and action superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is transformed in the first trailer for the upcoming biographical sports drama, The Smashing Machine. Maintaining his muscles for the A24 Mma outing, the movie will also see the WWE icon stretch his acting muscles more than ever as he takes the lead as two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Kerr. You can check out the first trailer for The Smashing Machine below.

“The Smashing Machine follows Mark Kerr, the legendary Mma fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career,” the synopsis for the sports drama reads. “He struggles with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.”The Smashing Machine is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 3, 2025, with many thinking this could be an Award-winner for the actor.

Directed by Uncut Gems filmmaker Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine will tell the story of the...

"The unforgettable true story of a UFC legend." A24 revealed the first official trailer for The Smashing Machine, the highly anticipated new film from Benny Safdie, one half of now iconic filmmaker brothers duo known as the Safdie Brothers. This time it's just Benny's project alone, he wrote & directed this without his brother Josh this time. Together they made Good Time and Uncut Gems, earning their place in cinema history with both. in The Smashing Machine, the story is focused on the "trailblazing UFC, Pride, and Vfc fighter" Mark Kerr during the peak of his career in 2000. Detailing the good, the bad, and the ugly of his rise to the top of the sport. Mma fighter Mark Kerr struggles with addiction, winning, and love during his peak in the UFC. Starring Dwayne Johnson with impressive facial prosthetics in a powerful lead role as Kerr. With Emily Blunt as his girlfriend,...

The Smashing Machine, the highly anticipated A24 film directed by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson, has just released its first trailer, presenting a look at an unrecognizable Johnson in the leading role. The Smashing Machine sees Johnson stepping into the shoes of Mark Kerr, the legendary Mma fighter known as "The Smashing Machine", as he became one of the biggest names in the sport. His career highlights include competing in top-tier promotions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Japan's Pride Fighting Championships.

Johnson is looking to take a step in a more serious direction, following what could best be described as a decade or more as one of Hollywood's go-to action stars, roles which don't tend to allow for a lot of depth for those actors playing them, but this gives him a chance to silence his critics.

The film is directed by Benny Safdie, while Emily Blunt plays Kerr's then-wife,...

Dwayne Johnson undergoes his most dramatic on-screen transformation yet in the first trailer for “The Smashing Machine,” a biopic about two-time UFC heavyweight champ Mark Kerr. A24 pulled the curtain back on the drama Tuesday morning.

Benny Safdie, one of the two Safdie brothers who co-directed and wrote “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time,” makes his solo directorial feature debut on the film. In addition to Johnson, the cast includes Emily Blunt as Kerr’s wife Dawn Staples, Bas Rutten, Lyndsey Gavin and Oleksandr Usyk. “The Smashing Machine” is Johnson and Blunt’s second collaboration since Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” in 2021, and they’re set to next team with Leonardo DiCaprio on a Hawaiian crime thriller from Martin Scorsese.

Kerr was a mixed martial artist who fought from 1997 to 2009, winning four Adcc World Championships in his career. In 2002, Kerr was the subject of an HBO documentary also entitled “The Smashing Machine,...

Dwayne Johnson is smashing stereotypes with A24 feature “The Smashing Machine.” The actor, who is set to also star in Martin Scorsese’s Hawaii-set true crime mob drama, is first making his indie debut with Benny Safdie’s biopic about UFC legend Mark Kerr. Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk co-star.

Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions acquired the rights to “The Smashing Machine” in 2019. A24 later joined as a partner in 2023. Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions produce alongside Safdie’s Out for the Count banner, Eli Bush, Hiram Garcia, and David Koplan. The film marks Safdie’s first solo directing effort sans brother Josh Safdie; Benny Safdie also penned the script based on Kerr’s real-life story and rise in the UFC. Per the initial A24 announcement, Johnson’s most dramatic project yet follows Mma fighter Kerr’s career peak during the “no-holds-barred era...

The Smashing Machine sees wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson go from the squared circle to the octagon as he plays titular mixed martial arts legend Mark Kerr. A new look at the A24 sports drama sees an unrecognizable Johnson in action as the film's first trailer nears.

Via A24 on X (formerly Twitter), A24 released the first poster for The Smashing Machine. The latest preview sees Johnson's central character readying for battle and hypes up the Mma biopic as the "unforgettable true story of a UFC legend." The new poster comes as The Smashing Machine's first trailer is expected to debut on Apr. 29.

Directed and written by Uncut Gems helmer Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine sees Johnson portray Kerr, the former UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion and decorated boxer active in mixed martial arts from 1997 until 2009. The film zeroes in on Kerr during the prime of his career, chronicling Kerr's personal struggles...

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has drawn criticism over the past few years for playing versions of himself in his movies. But, A24's The Smashing Machine, directed by Uncut Gems' Benny Safdie, is giving the actor and former WWE star a chance to truly transform. In the upcoming film, Johnson will move away from playing another quipping action hero to bring the real Mma legend, Mark Kerr, to life in the new biopic.

New images of Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr have been released, and it might be The Rock's most drastic transformation so far. The images were shared on Instagram by Kerr himself. When "The Rock" and "transformation" are used in the same sentence, many assume it to be a physical transformation, with the muscular actor getting in even better shape. While that is also true in this case, as Johnson appears to have bulked up significantly for The Smashing Machine,...

It feels like a lifetime ago when Black Adam premiered and bombed at the box office, and while that’s already behind us—and buried deep in the farthest corner of our consciousness—Dwayne Johnson’s recent photos as Mark Kerr made us remember how Black Adam should have looked like.

The former wrestler turned movie star ventures into a different kind of acting in Benny Safdie’s biopic sports drama, The Smashing Machine, and The Rock looks totally unrecognizable! This is also the start of Johnson’s career in arthouse movies, and who knows? He might stick to it in the long run.

Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine / Credits: A24 Dwayne Johnson’s recent transformation should have been Black Adam’s look

Dwayne Johnson’s career continued to soar despite the failure of Black Adam, and now he’s starring in his first independent movie since 2005’s Southland Tales.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is again stepping into the hoop, but this time, it’s no longer for wrestling; it’s for an action-packed blockbuster. His next project, The Smashing Machine, is a biopic of Mma fighter Mark Kerr that is leaving fans buzzing with excitement. The film revolves around Kerr from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC and how he struggled during the peak of his career.

Now, The Smashing Machine has received its official release date, which is during a precious time of the year. Let’s dive into who’s starring in it and what it’s all about, along with its release date.

When will The Rock bring The Smashing Machine to the theaters? A screengrab featuring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson from Black Adam | Credit @Sevenbucksproduction

Mark Kerr’s biopic The Smashing Machine is slated to get a theatrical release date of October 3, 2025, which falls during...

A24's highly anticipated The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson recently received a major update. The movie is headed to theaters this fall.

Per Deadline, the Mark "The Smashing Machine" Kerr biopic from writer-director Benny Safdie has officially cemented a theatrical release date of Oct. 3, 2025. This particular release date was originally intended to go to Lionsgate's upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, which may still be pushed back to better fit a two-part release format.

The Smashing Machine stars Johnson as the acclaimed real-life professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr. Over the course of Kerr's athletic career, he won a dozen gold and silver medals across both college and professional championships, including the 1995 Pan America Games. Kerr also established himself as one of the early success stories in the world of Mma, amassing a 15-11-1 record across 12 years from 1997 until his retirement in 2009.

His career...

Though controversial figures like Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor and organizations like the UFC have turned mixed martial arts into one of the most popular sports in the world, that popularity has failed to translate to the world of cinema. "Rocky" and "Raging Bull" showed what full-contact competitive fighting sports could uniquely bring to the sports subgenre, and the continued success of the "Creed" series proves that the appetite from audiences for this sort of film persists despite the Marvel-ification of the movie theater.

So why aren't there more Mma movies? It's likely because what few have been produced have, on the whole, been critical failures. But that doesn't mean this sub-subgenre is doomed altogether. We've found the 10 best Mma movies ever made, the best qualities of each arguably revealing what qualities future films need to master before entering the theatrical octagon themselves.

Read more: The 25 Best '80s Action...

If you thought The Night Agent's Gabriel Basso was a force to be reckoned with on screen, it turns out he is so tough he even spooked an Mma legend. Yeah, the dorky kid from Super 8 with the glasses. That guy. In a genre that relies on trick photography, quick edits, digital face-swaps, and countless expendable stuntpeople, there are those A-list performers that feel a twinge of embarrassment at faking it.

He's put everything he's learned into his short time on The Night Agent. But it's the action sequences that bring out his neurotic side. Performers don't just memorize the scene's blocking, stage cues, and dialogue, but also have to convincingly sell a phony gut punch — something they evidently failed to cover in his early days as a child actor on the set of Nickelodeon's iCarly. Pushing his body to further extremes all for the sake of building a better cinematic beatdown,...

Since the earliest days of cinema, the Western genre has produced some of the richest and most adventurous films in the cinema. These movies document the lives and journeys of characters of varying moral codes who try to survive the brutal Frontier, taking on rival gunslingers, Native American warriors, and the harsh environment. Despite the genre's reputation for gritty stories, plenty of Westerns are accessible to younger viewers.

While Westerns work best when they take a gritty approach to the Old West, there are plenty of movies from the genre perfect for kids that play up adventure instead of violence. From classic swashbuckler heroes of the Western Frontier to animated gunslinger stories, the list of kid-friendly Western movies is surprisingly long. The Wild West remains a place for childhood escapism; these movies are great examples.

Updated February 6, 2025, by Anthony Jeanetta. The Western movie genre includes plenty of family-friendly options. This...

Howard Kazanjian served as a producer on two of the original three Star Wars films. While Kazanjian went uncredited on Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, arguably one of the best in the franchise, he also worked on its sequel Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Having worked on the original trilogy makes Kazanjian a reliable source of critique on the widely divisive and polarizing sequel trilogy of Star Wars films produced under Disney. When asked about the sequels Kazanjian had stern words for the films, and blasted them for their inconsistent storylines. Here is what the veteran producer had to say about the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Original Star Wars Trilogy Producer Howard Kazanjian Slams Sequel Trilogy With a Harsh Remark

A brainchild of George Lucas, the Star...

Western comedies provide a refreshing and hilarious take on the traditional Western genre, subverting expectations and adding comedic elements. The best Western comedies make fun of the genre and its stereotypical storylines, offering parody and self-reflexive humor. Films like Three Amigos!, Shanghai Noon, and Blazing Saddles rank among the best Western comedies, with dynamic casting and iconic performances.

While uncommon, Western comedies are among some of the most hilarious and enjoyable subgenres of film. The most successful Western comedies, ranked here from worst to best, all possess classic tropes of the Western genre while maintaining their focus on comedic elements such as slapstick humor and witty one-liners. The Western genre typically offers a canvas for thrilling action and intense violence with mostly dramatic themes and dark undertones. Western comedies subvert these expectations by introducing humor in the most unlikely of environments.

The best Western comedies make fun of the genre...

It’s no mystery why Only Murders in the Building is killing it on Hulu. Besides the national obsession with true crime, there is a chemical reaction to the players which triggers a chaotic element unknown in forensics. Selina Gomez’s (occasionally “Bloody”) Mabel Mora ties up the loose ends. You might say she Martinizes them. It is harder to find looser ends than Steve Martin and Martin Short. As Charles-Haden Savage and Oliver Putnam, respectively, the two performers may stick to the scripts in the series, but they spent over a generation improvising over each other.

Martin and Short met while shooting the 1986 film Three Amigos! with Chevy Chase. Admiring new friend Steve’s opulent home, Martin was moved to ask “How did you get so rich,” he recalled on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, marveling at its improbability by admitting “I’ve seen your work.” They’ve been collaborating ever since,...

So, the Dead Rising series. Yeah, judging from the diminishing returns from each entry after the 2006 original, and the response from the last entry in Dead Rising 4, it’s safe to say that Capcom will have this series on hold for a bit. Making it sting even more is footage that has appeared online from the cancelled fifth entry, Dead Rising 5: Dia de los Muertos.

Per PlayStation Lifestyle, early prototype game footage of the cancelled title has been revealed through the portfolio of level designer Nick Sinkewicz. From the looks of things, Dead Rising 5 would take place in Mexico, and would see the return of Dead Rising 2 protagonist Chuck Greene.

Among the footage, Sinkewicz dropped some details on what could have been a useful addition to the cancelled entry. The Loot Containment System, which in contrast to previous entries that had your loot strewn about, making it difficult to...

Steve Martin is one of Hollywood's most beloved and iconic comedy stars. With over fifty years in the business, Martin has grown from a stand-up comic and "Saturday Night Live" regular to a respected comedy writer and actor. After breaking out to wider mainstream audiences with 1979's "The Jerk," Martin became a bonafide movie star. But the comedian has never stuck to one art form, publishing several books and plays -- not to mention Martin's music career too! Yes, he's known for taking on slapstick comedic roles that cast him as nonsensical or a highly intelligent neurotic. But Martin is also a critically acclaimed creative who received six Golden Globes nominations and eight Emmy nominations for his acting and writing chops.

Martin recently delighted fans with season 2 of "Only Murders in the Building." Allegedly, Martin plans to retire after his Hulu series wraps. Martin is also one Tony award away...

In the late '70s and early '80s, comedians from "Saturday Night Live" made the transition to the big screen, and the move paid off big time. John Landis' "Animal House" provided a star vehicle for John Belushi, and the bawdy comedy made over 140 million against its modest 3 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). For their next trick, Belushi was joined by Dan Aykroyd for a big-budget version of their "SNL" musical act, "The Blues Brothers," which was another smash.

Arguably peak "SNL" at the movies came in 1984. "Beverly Hills Cop," starring Eddie Murphy, was the top-performing film domestically with 234 million, while "Ghostbusters" with Aykroyd and Bill Murray was a global sensation and became a pop culture phenomenon.

"Three Amigos," starring  Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, was originally conceived in 1980 as a vehicle for - you guessed it - John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. By the time...

Hollywood stuntman and martial artist Gene LeBell has died. He was 89.

Professional wrestler Bas Rutten announced LeBell’s death via Facebook, writing, “You will be greatly missed Gene, I love you my friend, till we meet again!”

LeBell started catch wrestling when he was 7, under the guidance of American wrestler Ed “The Strangler” Lewis. He was also taught by famous martial arts trainer Karl Gotch and professional wrestler Lou Thesz.

LeBell tried pro wrestling, but returned to martial arts when he challenged professional boxer, Milo Savage, in 1963. He won the fight.

LeBell also worked in film and television as a stuntman, with roles in more than 250 films. He appeared in Elvis Presley’s “Blue Hawaii,” “The Green Hornet” TV series, where he met Bruce Lee, and “The Incredible Hulk.”

Writing for Black Belt Magazine, LeBell recalled, “He was the best martial artist of his time. Bruce and I had a bond with the martial arts,...

Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to The Gig Is Up, Shannon Walsh’s feature documentary that explores the real costs of the controversial gig economy through the lives of workers from around the world for companies including Uber, Amazon and Deliveroo. The deal comes after London-based sales outfit Dogwoof acquired world rights at the European Film Market. Gravitas will now release the film October 8 in theaters and on-demand.

From delivering food and driving ride shares to tagging images for AI, millions of people are finding work task by task online, with the gig economy worth more than $5 trillion and growing worldwide. The pic tells the stories of the workers behind this tech revolution who have gone largely neglected amid often dangerous work conditions, inconsistent pay and the threat of being effectively fired through deactivation or a bad rating.

“We are thrilled to be releasing The Gig Is Up...

"The power's out everywhere! The city is locked down!" Gravitas Ventures has debuted an official trailer for a very gory, ridiculously cheesy grindhouse horror film titled The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre. Yes, that is the full title, because it's about the "Manson Brothers", two professional wrestlers, who end up fighting a horde of zombies after a midnight cage match on Halloween. "They didn't know that they need to stay in an arena to fight zombies." Why not...? There's even a sequel already in the works: The Manson Brothers Satanic Vampire Death Match. Midnight Zombie Massacre stars Max Martini (who also directs the film), Adrian Pasdar, Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, and Db Sweeney, along with tons of hungry zombies. This looks so so bad - but that's the point! Disgusting grindhouse zombie mania. Have fun. Trailer (+ poster) for Max Martini's Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre, from YouTube: Wrestling's most hated tag team,...

Exclusive: Danny Trejo has been set to take the mike to be ring announcer for Karate Combat: Hollywood, the first-ever Tinseltown stop for the startup martial arts league which is expanding to 10 worldwide events this year. The 10-fight card, which kicks off the pro league’s second season, is set for January 24 at the Avalon Hollywood.

The stream will be available free at karate.com and its apps (live in-fight stats there include fighters’ heart rates and other biodata) and Roku channel, along with partners including Twitch, YouTube, DailyMotion, Fite, Pluto TV, Eleven Sports, The Fight Network, Facebook Live and Ufc Fight Pass and among other places.

Karate Combat launched last year as the first mainstream full-contact karate league with top fighters. The 2019 scheduled includes stops in Kyoto, Shanghai, Rio, Paris, Madrid, Miami, New York, and in locations in Italy and Latvia.

Trejo is a veteran actor and Los Angeles...

Exclusive: The Professional Fighters League announced today their broadcast team for the 2018 Pfl Inaugural season which will include all-stars and legends from the Mma world. The broadcast team, which includes Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, Yves Edwards, Caroline Pearce and Todd Harris, will cover all Pfl live events and pre- and post-event shows.

The Pfl 2018 league season debuts June 7 from Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and consists of 7 regular season events, 3 “win or go home” playoff events, and concludes with the $10 million Pfl championship event on December 31. Pfl events and fights will be streamed live and on-demand on pflmma.com and the Pfl apps, broadcast live in primetime on NBC Sports Network, and streamed live globally on Facebook Watch.

Pfl’s new broadcast team will be at the events to break down the action and give fans expert analysis and new angles on the fights and the fighters.

Todd Harris...

[[tmz:video id="0_8nr70gbr"]] Here's something you don't hear everyday -- a Ufc Hall of Famer saying Conor McGregor's next fight should be in Boxing, not Mma! "If he's a smart guy he should keep on boxing -- that's what I would do," Bas Rutten told TMZ Sports. Don't get it twisted -- Bas says he wants to see Conor come back and defend his Ufc lightweight belt ... but at the same time, thinks it'd be crazy for...

[[tmz:video id="0_dcvgyrpv"]] Mma legend Bas Rutten's hands could kill you ... but that's not enough for him ... he had to go all Terminator at an L.A. gun range recently ... and TMZ Sports has video of him popping off some shots. Read more...

EA has released a new trailer and release date for Ufc 2 so get pumped up to kick some butt and check it out!

This is the first actual gameplay trailer we got from the upcoming game and it showcases several top tier fighters.

The game is releasing March 15 in America and worldwide on March 17. Those that pre-order and buy the "day 1 edition" will get immidiate access to Ufc Hall of Famer Bas Rutten and Japanese Mma legend Kazushi Sakuraba, along with a third fighter that has yet to be named.

“Whether fans want to play upcoming cards, recreate the outcome of recent fights, or go back to fight with Mma legends, we’ll help them do that in the most authentic and exciting way ever in an Mma simulation,” said Brian Hayes, Creative Director. “Our first two pre-order fighters, Bas Rutten and Kazushi Sakuraba are perfect additions to what is...

View Photo Gallery

As you settle in for tonight’s Bellator fight between Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez on Spike at 9 pm Et (you’re doing that, right?), ask yourself this: What led you to become a mixed martial arts fan? We bet a whole lot of you are into it because the sport’s biggest stars have made their way into other realms of pop culture. Like professional wrestlers before them, fighters like Chuck Liddell, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Gina Carano, Randy Couture and Bas Rutten have been trying their hand (and feet) at acting.

Sometimes it’s just to play themselves in a funny cameo, sometimes it’s to be the opponent in a fight or a bouncer at a strip club, and then there are some instances when they’re allowed to take center stage. Whether or not they’re on their way to the Academy Awards with...

Kevin James toplines this Ultimate Fighting caper as Scott Volk, a jaded biology teacher who is stirred into cagefighting action when school cutbacks threaten the music program run by his dear old colleague Marty (Henry Winkler). Even losers get a payout, so once he brushes up the wrestling moves he last used 20 years ago, it'll be all gain and virtually no pain, right? Salma Hayek and former Ufc champ Bas Rutten are on hand to pick up the pieces in a knockabout comedy that gives the dead-arm to Dead Poets Society.

As a busy mom of four, Tori Spelling sure could use more hours in the day. To make the most of her time, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum tells Us Weekly she engages in multitasking workouts that allow her to stay fit -- and bond with her family. "We all need to get out our aggression," Spelling jokes of her brood's weekly sweat sessions at Bas Rutten's Elite Mma Gym in Westlake Village, Calif. Forced to go on bed rest after developing terrifying complications while pregnant with [...]...

Here Comes The Boom

Stars: Kevin James, Henry Winkler, Salma Hayek, Greg Germann, Joe Rogan, Bas Rutten, Charice | Written by Kevin James, Allan Loeb, Rock Reuben | Directed by Frank Coraci

“Biology teacher Scott Voss (Kevin James) attempts to become a successful mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to prevent extra-curricular activities from being axed at his cash-strapped school…”

Much like his comedy-movie cohort Adam Sandler, the films of Kevin James can be hit and miss, for every I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry there’s a Zookeeper; and the mixed reception afforded his solo efforts (although I’m man enough to admit I actually enjoyed Paul Blart: Mall Cop) didn’t bode well for Here Comes the Boom… So imagine my surprise when the film turned out to be more than just another Happy Madison produced gross-out comedy and is in fact a sentimental tale of...

DVD Review

Here Comes the Boom

Directed by: Frank Coraci

Cast: Kevin James, Henry Winkler, Salma Hayek, Bas Rutten, Charice

Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Rating: PG

Due Out: February 5, 2013

Plot: When the principal announces the school’s music program is going to be cut, the lackadaisical biology teacher (James) decides to participate in Mma in order to save it and the job of the music teacher (Winkler).

Who’S It For? If the comedy stylings of Kevin James appeal to you, you’re probably already planning on watching this. Everyone else should find some other way to spend their time.

Movie:

Everything about Here Comes the Boom is obvious and unearned. Characters end up exactly where you think they will, even if it makes no logical sense. The word hero gets thrown around the way you’d imagine Kevin James falling down as a punch line would be. It doesn...

Argo | Alps | My Brother The Devil | East End Babylon | Aurora | Grassroots | Here Comes The Boom | Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan | The Sapphires | People Like Us | Love Bite

Argo (15)

(Ben Affleck, 2012, Us) Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, 120 mins

Affleck's rehabilitation is complete thanks to this unlikely-but-true collision of Hollywood sci-fi and Iranian politics. It looks and feels like a lost 1970s thriller, with perfect retro styling and slow-burning tension, all nicely undercut by a CIA agent's crazy plan to use a Star Wars knock-off to spirit Americans out of revolutionary Tehran. A fake 70s thriller about a fake 70s sci-fi, based on a real story – what's not to like?

Alps (15)

(Giorgos Lanthimos, 2011, Gre) Stavros Psyllakis, Aris Servetalis, 93 mins

More audacious but coolly deadpan oddness from the Dogtooth director, this time following a secretive group who provide a surreal service for grieving relatives. The world's a stage, Lanthimos hints,...

Here Comes The Boom

Stars: Kevin James, Henry Winkler, Salma Hayek, Greg Germann, Joe Rogan, Bas Rutten, Charice | Written by Kevin James, Allan Loeb, Rock Reuben | Directed by Frank Coraci

“Biology teacher Scott Voss (Kevin James) attempts to become a successful mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to prevent extra-curricular activities from being axed at his cash-strapped school…”

Much like his comedy-movie cohort Adam Sandler, the films of Kevin James can be hit and miss, for every I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry there’s a Zookeeper; and the mixed reception afforded his solo efforts (although I’m man enough to admit I actually enjoyed Paul Blart: Mall Cop) didn’t bode well for Here Comes the Boom… So imagine my surprise when the film turned out to be more than just another Happy Madison produced gross-out comedy and is in fact a sentimental tale of...

Kevin James toplines this Ultimate Fighting caper as Scott Volk, a jaded biology teacher who is stirred into cagefighting action when school cutbacks threaten the music program run by his dear old colleague Marty (Henry Winkler). Even losers get a payout, so once he brushes up the wrestling moves he last used 20 years ago, it'll be all gain and virtually no pain, right? Salma Hayek and former Ufc champ Bas Rutten are on hand to pick up the pieces in a knockabout comedy that gives the dead-arm to Dead Poets Society.