Dwayne Johnson is heading to the Sundance Film Festival. It was announced today that the upcoming family comedy Fighting with My Family has been added to the Sundance lineup as the “Secret Screening,” and Johnson himself took to Twitter to address the announcement. Johnson produced and has a small role in the film, which is based on the true story of WWE Superstar Paige, who gained an opportunity to train for the WWE following years of obsessing over wrestling with her family. This is the first Seven Bucks Productions film to land a spot at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, and indeed the film was packaged outside the studio system, owing to Seven Bucks’ belief in the strength of the material.
Curiously enough, even though this is a film about the wrestling world, it was written and directed by Stephen Merchant. Yes, that Stephen Merchant from the UK’s The Office and the shortlived HBO series Hello Ladies. Merchant previously directed numerous episodes of Extras and Hello Ladies as well as the 2010 feature Cemetery Junction, but this is his most high-profile project as a filmmaker yet.
The Sundance addition signals that MGM is bullish on the quality of Fighting with My Family, which doesn’t hit theaters until February 22nd. This could be a good way of building buzz, much in the way that Get Out’s secret screening at Sundance last year boosted that film into its February release where it flourished at the box office.
Collider will be out in full force at Sundance so you can look forward to our review of the film in short order. The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 24th through February 3rd.
Check out Johnson’s video below. The film stars Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, Lena Headey, Nick Frost, and Vince Vaughn.
Here’s the official synopsis for Fighting with My Family:
FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY is a heartwarming comedy based on the incredible true story of WWE Superstar Paige™. Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her family and face this new, cut-throat world alone. Paige’s journey pushes her to dig deep, fight for her family, and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.
