News

Maura Tierney plays Doris Adkisson, the matriarch of the famous Von Erich wrestling family from Texas who suffered immense tragedy throughout their lives. Tierney's casting as Doris in the Von Erich family biopic, The Iron Claw, was foreshadowed by her previous role in Liar Liar, in which Jim Carrey's character does the Von Erichs' signature clawhold move. Liar Liar featuring the Von Erich family's signature move is demonstrative of the lasting impact they had on pro wrestling.

Maura Tierney's role as Doris in Sean Durkin's The Iron Claw paid off a hilarious bit from the Jim Carrey comedy movie she starred in 27 years ago. In 2023, The Iron Claw brought the true story of the Von Erich brothers to life by showcasing the beloved Texas pro wrestlers' rise to fame in the '80s as well as the darker side of the supposedly "cursed" family's history.

Tierney played the famous family's matriarch,...

Jack Jr.'s death in 1959 marked the first tragic event in the Von Erich family. The young boy's death plays a significant role in The Iron Claw. The Iron Claw maintains the reality of the Von Erich family's hardships and deaths despite some creative liberties.

The Iron Claw tells the true story of the Von Erich family a family of wrestlers who endured numerous hardships over decades as many tried to prove themselves in the wrestling world, starting with the misfortunate incident involving Fritz Von Erich and Doris Adkisson's first son, Jack Jr. The 2023 biographical sports drama, directed and written by Sean Durkin, takes some creative liberties when depicting the family's story on the big screen. Consequently, not everything that transpires in the movie actually happened in real life, or The Iron Claw changes the details of the true story, resulting in a few inaccuracies.

The Iron Claw is available to stream on Max.

The Iron Claw excludes several members of the Von Erich family, including spouses, children, and the youngest brother, Chris, who died by suicide. The film centers on Kevin Von Erich and his three younger brothers, but in reality, there were six Von Erich brothers and their personal lives are altered or omitted in the movie. The exclusion of certain family members was done to streamline the narrative and avoid too much heartbreak, allowing the focus to remain on the central Von Erich family.

This article contains mention of suicide.

Several members of the Von Erich family were excluded from Sean Durkin's The Iron Claw, including spouses, children, and the youngest Von Erich brother. The Iron Claw tells the true story of the Von Erich brothers, a family of pro wrestlers whose lineage was thought to be "cursed" due to the immense tragedy they faced. The film focuses on the family patriarch,...

This article discusses the real-life story of The Von Erichs and as such could be viewed as containing spoilers for "The Iron Claw."

Sean Durkin's "The Iron Claw" is the tearjerker film of the year, one that I called "emotionally eviscerating" in my review as it takes a folkloric look at the real-life tragedies of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty. The film focuses on Kevin, David, Kerry, and Mike Von Erich throughout the 1980s and early '90s, a decade filled with unimaginable deaths and heartache. Despite this, "The Iron Claw" ends with a bit of optimism, and a cathartic release for Kevin Von Erich, known as "The Last of the Von Erichs." The film ends sometime in the 1990s and given the harrowing true story at the center of the film, non-wrestling fans might be wondering what happened to Kevin Von Erich and the rest of the family in the years that followed.

As a dyed-in-the-wool wrestling fan, Sean Durkin's "The Iron Claw" was one of my most anticipated films of 2023. Based on the real-life story of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty (real last name Adkisson), the film features Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich, Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich (my personal favorite of the Von Erich brothers), Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich, Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich, and Maura Tierney as Doris Adkisson. For wrestling fans, the Von Erich story is the stuff of infamy, a dark moment in the industry's history that weighs heavy on the hearts of multiple generations. Pulling off "The Iron Claw" would be no easy feat for those involved, but the result is one of the best films of 2023.

I attended the press conference following the film's world premiere in Dallas, Texas, and was able to...

Zac Efron has shared a first-look image of himself in action as the real-life wrestler Kevin Von Erich from the upcoming A24 film The Iron Claw. Written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Sean Durkin, the story of The Iron Claw revolves around the Von Erich family and their era of enormous success in the 1960s as they took the world of professional wrestling by storm. The upcoming project had first been announced this past June, with Efron being the first actor to hop on board, with development speeding up rapidly thereafter, as the remaining cast was rounded off by October.

Photos of Efron's stunning physical transformation to portray Kevin Von Erich have been making the rounds online recently, but the above-shown image marks the first official still released from the film. This isn't the first time the High School Musical star has undergone a drastic bodily change for a role,...

Zac Efron looks nearly unrecognizable while filming his new movie The Iron Claw. The upcoming A24 film tells story of the Von Erichs, the real-life famous wrestling family that have remained prominent in the sport since the 1960s. Efron stars in The Iron Claw, leading a star-studded cast including Lily James and Jeremy Allen White.

Sean Durkin is directing The Iron Claw, a drama featuring Efron as Kevin Von Erich, the only surviving son of pro-wrestler Fritz Von Erich, patriarch of the wrestling dynasty who rose to fame in the 1950s and 60s. The Bear's Jeremy Allen White will portray Kevin's brother Kerry, while Maura Tierney is set to appear as their mother Doris Von Erich, and Mindhunter's Holt McCallany with Fritz Von Erich. "The Iron Claw" is a reference to the signature finishing hold made famous by Fritz, and which was subsequently used by all of his wrestler children.