Dwayne Johnson got iced out of the Oscar race after all of that buzz for The Smashing Machine. That’s not going to stop him from trying some new things, though, and his next project is definitely unexpected. Variety reports Johnson will team up with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity label for Free Byrd, a new action-drama from Sing Sing director Greg Kwedar.
Here’s the synopsis: “A Las Vegas motorcycle stuntman who conceals his dementia diagnosis from everyone, including his mechanic brother, as he risks everything on one last jump, as 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 as a motorcycle stuntman with dementia? Whoa. It certainly sounds like the kind of personal character study we’d expect from Kwedar, the filmmaker behind prison drama Sing Sing, and co-writer on the deeply introspective dramas Jockey and Train Dreams.
Free Byrd began as a Black List script by Jon Boyer, but it will get a rewrite from Kwedar, which is to be expected. A previous draft was co-written by The Peanut Butter Falcon duo, Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson.
Joining Affleck and Damon as producers are Kwedar, Johnson, and Kwedar’s frequent collaborator Clint Bentley.
“‘Free Byrd’ is a gift in many ways,” said Johnson in a released statement. “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. Artists Equity have been incredible filmmaking and artistic partners, who not only share Greg’s vision for the film, but who are all connected to our story in their own unique and personal ways. When the mind of a loved one begins to slip away, life sure takes on a whole new meaning.”
