A stellar cast, including Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson, star in the first trailer for A24 sports drama The Iron Claw.
Efron stars as Kevin von Erich, a member of a family of wrestlers in the 1980s. Aside from making goo-goo eyes at sweetheart Pam (Lily James), all Kevin wants to do is step inside the ring and wrestle with his brothers.
Think wrestling and a few names might come to mind: Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and John Cena all made waves in and out of the squared circle. Those of a certain vintage, however, may know about the Von Erichs, a brood of dyed-in-the-wool Texan wrestlers whose names became synonymous with tragedy.
"Ever since I was a child, people said my family was cursed," Kevin says. "Mom tried to protect us with God. Pop tried to protect us with wrestling. He said if we were the toughest, the strongest, nothing could ever hurt us. I believed him. We all did."
Without diving into territory likely covered by The Iron Claw, cursed isn’t the word for the Von Erichs. Despite some reaching personal and professional success, several of the von Erich clan succumbed to untimely deaths – hence talk of the curse.
The Iron Claw, then, should be a compelling and captivating story about the strength of family – and what happens when everything falls apart. Fritz von Erich (Holt McCallany), the patriarch of the family, seems especially prominent in the story, with the trailer hinting that he pushes his sons down a path they don’t want to go down.
The Iron Claw hits cinemas on December 22. For more, check out our movie release dates calendar.
