Dwayne Johnson is set to star in and produce Free Byrd, an upcoming project directed by Sing Sing helmer Greg Kwedar for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity banner, Variety first reported, with The Hollywood Reporter confirming.
According to the producers, the film “follows a Las Vegas motorcycle stuntman who conceals a dementia diagnosis from everyone, including his mechanic brother, as he risks everything on one last jump. The film examines and confronts the mind’s vast mysteries and the beauty and power of asking for help before it’s too late.”
Johnson said in a statement, “Free Byrd is a gift in many ways. Emblematic of life’s sacred beauty, as well as life’s harsh and callous reality. The subject matter of Free Byrd has become deeply personal to Greg Kwedar and myself as we’ve started to unpack this fateful journey together.”
The film marks a continuation of Johnson’s recent pivot toward more dramatic fare, following his turn in Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine. Safdie is also attached to direct Johnson in Lizard Music.
The script was originally written by Jon Boyer, with an earlier draft from The Peanut Butter Falcon writers and directors Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson, before Kwedar, who also wrote and directed Sing Sing and Train Dreams, completed a rewrite, according to THR.
Affleck and Damon said in a joint statement, “Greg is one of the most exciting writer-directors working today, and Dwayne is an extraordinary talent and person. We are extremely excited that they have chosen to make this with us and very much look forward to sharing the finished film with audiences.”
Artists Equity is producing alongside Fifth Season, Johnson for Seven Bucks Productions, and Kwedar and Clint Bentley for Ethos. Gill Netter also produces.
Featured image photo credit: Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Disney
Leave a Reply