The Rock Re-Teaming With Benny Safdie for New Movie Lizard Music for Amazon MGM Studios

Former WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is set to re-team with his director of The Smashing Machine, Benny Safdie, for a new film project, per The Hollywood Reporter. The actor and filmmaker will once again collaborate on the new project, Lizard Music.

Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists label and Scott Stuber landed the project, a package that has Johnson attached to star in and Safdie directing. Safdie will also write the script of the film adaptation of Daniel Pinkwater’s novel of the same name.

Stuber and Nick Nesbitt are producing the project under the United Artists Banner, with Safdie producing for Out for the Count Productions, Johnson producing under Seven Bucks Productions, and David Koplan for Magnetic Fields Entertainment.

The story follows a boy who discovers a secret late-night broadcast featuring music-playing lizards. In a journey for the truth, the boy meets a quirky septagenarian Chicken Man (Johnson) and his 111-year-old chicken friend Claudia, as they set out on a quest to explore a hidden society.

Benny Safdie recently directed The Rock in The Smashing Machine, a biopic about UFC Hall of Famer Mark Kerr, for A24. It was Safdie’s first solo directorial effort, as he had previously collaborated with his brother Josh Safdie.

Although The Rock received critical acclaim for his performance as Kerr in the picture, it has struggled at the box office, grossing only $17 million worldwide since hitting theaters earlier this month.

Following a screening of The Smashing Machine at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Rock revealed that Safdie gave him a 45-minute pitch for the project, and the wrestler-turned-actor said in response, “I’m your Chicken Man.”

After the TIFF screening for The Smashing Machine, The Rock told the crowd that Benny Safdie had given him a 45-minute pitch for Lizard Man, after which the star declared, “I’m your Chicken Man.”

Speaking on the film announcement in a statement, Safdie commented, “I couldn’t be more excited to go on this journey with Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists. Lizard Music is a book I read to my two sons, and we were riveted by its imagination and wonder.” He added, “I love Daniel Pinkwater as a person and an author; the idea of making a movie where everyone can join the conversation is both thrilling and beautiful. To go on this adventure with Dwayne and to be able to watch him transform and become the Chicken Man is just beyond… I can’t wait!”

Lizard Music does not yet have a release date or production state. As noted, The Rock’s next movie is a sequel to his Jumanji franchise, which starts production next month.

The Rock will reunite with Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan for Jumanji 3. Director Jake Kasdan is back to helm the threequel, which will hit theaters on December 11, 2026.