Dwayne Johnson and Benny Safdie’s next collaborative film, Lizard Music, starring Johnson as a 70-year-old man nicknamed “Chicken Man” whose closest companion is a 111-year-old chicken named Claudia, has arrived at Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists.
Directed and written by Safdie, based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Pinkwater. UA and Scott Stuber have successfully completed a high-profile project in a highly competitive landscape.
Courtenay Valenti, Amazon MGM’s Head of Film, Streaming and Theatrical, said: “We are thrilled to be re-teaming with the extraordinary talent Dwayne Johnson and to be working with incredible creator, writer and director Benny Safdie for the first time on ‘The Lizard Music.’ “Everyone at Amazon MGM and UA is deeply inspired by our previous collaboration on the critically acclaimed ‘The Smashing Machine,’ and we are thrilled to be working with them on this imaginative and entertaining cinematic story. ‘The Music of the Lizard’ is a timeless and unique story.” We are very fortunate that they trusted us as a studio partner. ”
An early synopsis states that the film will be about a boy who opens a “hidden door to the extraordinary” when he “stumbles upon a secret late-night broadcast in which lizards play otherworldly music.” “His quest for answers leads him to the eccentric and capricious 70-something Chicken Man and his beloved sidekick, Claudia, a 111-year-old chicken. These two kindred spirits find each other at just the right time. United by this common vision, they set out on an adventure that begins as an exploration of a hidden society, but blossoms into a journey through the unseen, an unexpected harmony, and an unbreakable bond between lost souls. They discover magic not just in what they find, but in each other.”
Safdie said in a statement that she had read Pinkwater’s “Lizard Music” to her two sons. “We were transfixed by its imagination and wonder,” the filmmakers said. “I love Daniel Pinkwater, both as a person and as a writer. The idea of making a movie where everyone can participate in the conversation is thrilling and beautiful. To be able to go on this adventure with Dwayne and watch him transform into Chickenman is just over the top…I can’t wait!”
Stuber will produce the film along with UA’s Nick Nesbitt, Safdie (Out for the Count Productions), Johnson (Seven Bucks Productions) and David Coplan of Magnetic Fields Entertainment.
“I have been fortunate to work with Dwayne and Benny on multiple projects and have seen firsthand their incredible talent and connection as artists,” said Stuber. “The world they’ve created together for Lizard Music is unlike anything we’ve ever done before, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this wonderfully imaginative story to life.”
News of the upcoming project broke during Johnson and Safie’s Smashing Machine press tour, with the wrestler-turned-actor looking noticeably thinner on the red carpet. (He packed on 30 pounds to play MMA fighter Mark Carr in the film, delivering a performance that garnered Oscar buzz.) In interviews, including with Variety’s Marc Malkin, Johnson explained that the change in his appearance was in preparation for his next film.
“I’ve been on a diet,” Johnson said at the film’s Los Angeles premiere. “I’m glad I didn’t have to carry the burden. Now I can tuck my shirt in…I don’t look pregnant, so it’s okay.” Of the character’s final look, he added: “Think of Clint Eastwood at 75 years old. He’s lean and muscular.”
