Fresh off their critically acclaimed Venice premiere of The Smashing Machine, Benny Safdie and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson aren’t wasting any time.
According to Deadline, the duo is already reuniting for a surreal new project: an adaptation of Lizard Music, based on the beloved novel by Daniel Pinkwater. Safdie will write and direct the film, with Johnson set to star as the eccentric Chicken Man, a central figure in the story’s strange and whimsical world. The project is being packaged now and is expected to be shopped around imminently.
Lizard Music centers on a boy who discovers a secret broadcast of lizards playing bizarre music late at night, which leads him into a mysterious world beyond imagination. His journey introduces him to the Chicken Man and his 70-year-old chicken sidekick, Claudia. Together, they go from tracking a hidden society to exploring deeper truths in invisible realms—forming a powerful bond in the process.
Producers attached include Benny Safdie for Down for the Count Productions, Dwayne Johnson for Seven Bucks Productions, and David Koplan, who also produced The Smashing Machine.
Safdie’s The Smashing Machine earned the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, while Johnson and co-star Emily Blunt drew rave reviews and a long standing ovation for their transformative performances. The film has positioned Johnson for a serious leap forward in his acting career, and Lizard Music looks to continue that upward momentum with a genre-bending role that breaks from his usual action-hero image.
Johnson is also set to star again alongside Blunt in an untitled Hawaii-set, Goodfellas-inspired true crime drama, further showcasing the kind of ambitious, character-driven work he’s aiming for in this next phase of his career.
Will Lizard Music be the weird, wonderful follow-up that solidifies Johnson as more than just box office muscle? Time will tell—but with Safdie behind the wheel and Chicken Man on deck, we’re in for something wild.
Are you ready to see The Rock as the Chicken Man? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
September 8, 2025 4:35 pm
