Dwayne Johnson has a lot of films in the works at the moment – and he’s the star of all of them except one. Stepping into the background for Stephen Merchant’s British wrestling film, Fighting With Family, Johnson plays himself in what already looks like a cracking home-grown sports comedy.
Still probably best known for his work with Ricky Gervais (and for being the weirdest thing in Logan), Merchant is making his solo directorial debut with the film, which tells the true story of professional WWE wrestler Saraya-Jade Bevis (aka “Paige”). Florence Pugh plays Paige as a young girl as she competes with her brother “Zodiac” (Jack Lowden) for a chance to go pro in America.
Nick Frost plays their wrestling dad (“Rowdy Ricky Knight”), Lena Headey is the wrestling mum (“Sweet Saraya”), Johnson plays a much angrier version of himself and the whole thing is shaping up pretty nicely:
Johnson gets the biggest laugh in the trailer when he goes all anti-Rock, but the film looks set to be another big early step for Pugh. Amazing in Lady Macbeth, Outlaw King and TV’s King Lear, it looks like 2019 is going to be her year – with a lead role in Greta Gerwig’s starry Little Women adaptation and in Ari Aster’s follow up to Hereditary, Midsommar.
Fighting With My Family arrives in cinemas on March 1st, 2019, and here’s the official synopsis:
Based on a true story, Fighting With My Family follows reformed gangster Ricky, wife Julia, daughter Paige and son Zak as they make a living wrestling together in tiny venues. When Paige and Zak get the opportunity to try out for WWE, the family grabs a once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn their wildest dreams into a dazzling future. However, brother and sister quickly discover that to become superstars, both their talent and their relationship will be put to the test. Fighting With My Family is a heart-warming and smart comedy that proves everything is worth fighting for when it comes to family.