Years later, Johnson and Blunt were on the phone when Blunt revealed she had just watched the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr and encouraged Johnson: "You must make this movie." Johnson previously told Variety that he was partially attracted to "The Smashing Machine" because "Benny wants to create, and continues to push the envelope when it comes to stories that are raw and real, characters that are authentic and at times uncomfortable and arresting. I'm at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.