Jeremy Allen White is teaming up with Zac Efron and Harris Dickinson to play a trio of wrestling brothers. The actors are set to star in A24’s “The Iron Claw” this December, in which they’ll play the real-life wrestling siblings the Von Erichs, as pictured above. The true-life-inspired movie is written and directed by Sean Durkin.
Per A24, the film follows the rise and fall of the inseparable Von Erichs, a family wrestling dynasty “who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.” The “Iron Claw”‘s synopsis notes, “Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.”
In real life, the family’s patriarch, Jack Adkisson (played by Holt McCallany), used the name Fritz Von Erich as his wrestling gimmick when he first broke into the sport. Five of his six children would go on to become professional wrestlers as well. When Fritz died in 1997, five of his six sons had died before him, leading to an urban legend about the family being “cursed.” White plays Kerry Von Erich in the film, the most famous member of the family; Efron portrays Kevin, the last surviving son; and Dickinson stars as David.
It seems the roles have required all three leading men to bulk up to play the wrestlers. Efron has been vocal in the past about how trying to obtain his “Baywatch” body left him depressed and burnt out. “That ‘Baywatch’ look, I don’t know if that’s really attainable. There’s just too little water in the skin. Like, it’s fake; it looks CGI’d,” he told Men’s Health in their October 2022 issue. “And that required Lasix, powerful diuretics, to achieve. So I don’t need to do that.”
White, meanwhile, is coming off of the second season of “The Bear,” the breakout, Emmy-winning hit that also scored its lead star his first-ever Golden Globe Award.
Ahead, find out everything else we know about “The Iron Claw” so far.
“The Iron Claw” Cast
Joining White, Efron, and Dickinson in the cast are McCallany, Maura Tierney, and Lily James.
“The Iron Claw” Release Date
The film hits theaters on Dec. 22.