Dwayne Johnson's dramatic physical transformation is for the role of a lifetime: a 70-year old who is best friends with a chicken

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The Rock is playing an eccentric older companion to a young boy in search of a secret lizard society

The Smashing Machine trailer
(Image credit: A24)

After playing an MMA fighter in Benny Safdie's sports biopic The Smashing Machine, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is reteaming with the director in his upcoming movie Lizard Music, in which the star will take on the role of a 70-year-old man… who is best friends with a chicken.

"Benny pitched me this after. And after about 45 minutes, this pitch ended and I said, 'I am your Chicken Man,'" said Johnson at a career retrospective talk at the Toronto International Film Festival, via Variety. According to Johnson, the film will see him take on the role of a "whimsical, eccentric 70-something-year-old" known as Chicken Man.

The upcoming movie is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by author Daniel Pinkwater. The Lizard Music book follows a boy named Victor who befriends an eccentric older gentleman called Chicken Man, who understands the lizards' music. Together, the pair journey to the lizards’ floating island.

"I’m so excited to get a chance to hopefully transform again like I was able to do in 'Smashing Machine,'" said Johnson at the event. "[It means] eating less chicken."

Although the upcoming project seems a little offbeat for Johnson, the star has recently shown interest in taking on more peculiar and gritty roles after feeling "pigeonholed" by Hollywood. "I have wanted this for a long time," said Johnson at the Venice Film Festival after admitting he had a "burning desire" to be more than a blockbuster star. "When you're in Hollywood, as we all know, it [becomes] about box office… It can push you into a corner and category."

Megan Garside
Megan Garside
Junior Social Media Editor, GamesRadar+

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.

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