Zac Efron And Jeremy Allen White Play Real-Life Wrestling Brothers In The Iron Claw Trailer
For months now, we've been seeing paparazzi photos of Zac Efron looking extremely beefy with a silly haircut, and hearing reports about "The Bear" star Jeremy Allen White's "gross" diet in preparation for the new A24 film, "The Iron Claw." For outsiders looking in, "The Iron Claw" looks like a wrestling drama, and many are thrilled to see the pair of actors step into the squared circle of muscle ballet. However, the average Joe's opinion of wrestling is rooted in the heyday of Hulkamania, the Attitude Era of the late '90s, or through crossover stars who have since become actors. Here's the thing: It's really cool that Allen and Efron are going to be in a wrestling movie, but if you're anticipating something like the extremely fun "Fighting With My Family" starring Florence Pugh or the deeply moving biopic "Cassandro" starring Gael García Bernal ... you're in for a hell of a rude awakening.
"The Iron Claw" comes from Sean Durkin, who also helmed the indie hits "The Nest" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene." The film's name comes from the trademark move of pro-wrestler Fritz Von Erich, the father of a wrestling dynasty and former 23-time world champion. This isn't a wrestling family like The Anoa'i family, which includes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Roman Reigns, WWE Hall of Famers Rikishi, Yokozuna, the Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika Anoaʻi), The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), Umaga, Rosey, Jacob Fatu, Nia Jax, and Solo Sikoa.
Indeed, the Von Erich family has a deep history in the world of wrestling, but it is as unbelievably tragic as it is glorious. So much so, it's known as "the Von Erich family curse."
Watch the trailer for The Iron Claw here
The official logline provided by A24 says, "Based on a true story, the film follows the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day." This means the film is going to be a comprehensive look at the rise and fall of the dynasty, and that fall is a hard fall. Holt McCallany ("Mindhunter") is perfectly cast as Fritz Von Erich, with Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich, and Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich. Five of the six Von Erich sons became wrestlers, and all but one of them died under terrible circumstances.
Additionally, Lily James plays Kevin's wife Pam Adkisson, Maura Tierney plays mama Doris Von Erich, AEW wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman plays the faux-cousin Lance Von Erich, Brady Pierce appears as Fabulous Freebirds wrestler Michael Hayes, Aaron Dean Eisenberg shows up as Ric Flair, Kevin Anton plays wrestler Harley Race, Cazzey Louis Cereghino plays wrestler Bruiser Brody, Chavo Guerrero Jr. plays wrestler The Shiek, and Ryan Nemeth appears as wrestler Gino Hernandez. I don't want to spoil anything more, but if you're impatient and want to know more about the Von Erichs, the episode of "Dark Side of the Ring" on the family is phenomenal.
"The Iron Claw" arrives in theaters on December 22, 2023. Time for a really sad holiday time!