The next feature collaboration between Dwayne Johnson and Benny Safdie is about to bring the Chicken Man to life.
In a competitive situation, Amazon MGM Studios‘ United Artists and Scott Stuber have landed Lizard Music, a package that has Johnson attached to star and Safdie attached to direct. Safdie is set to write the script based on author Daniel Pinkwater’s novel of the same name.
Producing the project are Stuber and Nick Nesbitt for UA, Safdie for Out for the Count Productions, Johnson for Seven Bucks Productions and David Koplan for Magnetic Fields Entertainment.
Lizard Music centers on a boy who discovers a secret late-night broadcast of music-playing lizards. As he seeks the truth, he meets the quirky septuagenarian Chicken Man (Johnson) and his 111-year-old chicken friend Claudia as they all set out on an adventure to explore a hidden society.
Johnson previously starred for Safdie in A24’s The Smashing Machine, which underperformed at the box office when it was released theatrically earlier this month but remains an awards contender, particularly for Johnson’s acclaimed role as UFC Hall of Famer Mark Kerr. That film marked Safdie’s first solo directorial effort following his work on such projects as Good Time and Uncut Gems with co-director and brother Josh Safdie.
After the TIFF screening for The Smashing Machine, Johnson told the crowd that Safdie had given him a 45-minute pitch for Lizard Man, after which the star declared, “I’m your Chicken Man.”
In a statement, Amazon MGM head of film, streaming and theatrical Courtenay Valenti praised the pair’s work on The Smashing Machine. “We are so thrilled to partner once again with extraordinarily talented Dwayne Johnson, as well as work for the first time with the amazing creator, writer, and director Benny Safdie, on Lizard Music,” Valenti says. “Everyone at Amazon MGM and UA is deeply inspired by their previous collaboration on the critically acclaimed The Smashing Machine. We are so excited to now collaborate with them on this imaginative, entertaining, and cinematic story; Lizard Music is a tale that feels both timeless and unique. We are very fortunate that they have trusted us to be their studio partners.”
Adds Stuber, “I’ve been lucky enough to work with Dwayne and Benny on multiple projects and have seen firsthand their incredible talents and connection as artists. The world they’ve created together for Lizard Music is unlike anything either has done before, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this wonderfully imaginative story to life.”
In his own statement, Safdie emphasizes his connection to the source material: “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. 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!”
