Dwayne Johnson has done it again. After bulking up and shaving his head for his role as MMA legend Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, the actor is now nearly impossible to recognize in the first set photos from his next collaboration with director Benny Safdie, the fantasy family film Lizard Music.
The images, which have just hit the internet, show Johnson as a septuagenarian street performer named Chicken Man. He appears to have aged about 20 years and shed 30 pounds of muscle, trading his usual chiseled physique for a wiry, weathered frame. He's also sporting a bucket hat that, as fans of the source material know, hides his best friend—an elderly chicken named Claudia.
To achieve this dramatic look, Johnson reportedly sat through a five-hour makeup process every day. The mastermind behind the transformation is Oscar-winning makeup artist Kazu Hiro, who previously turned Tom Cruise into an elderly oil tycoon in Digger. The result is a far cry from the action-hero roles that made Johnson a household name.
Lizard Music is based on Daniel Pinkwater's 1976 novel of the same name. The story follows Victor, an 11-year-old oddball who, while home alone for two weeks in the summer, stumbles upon a bizarre all-lizard band on late-night TV. His curiosity leads him on an adventure to find the source of the signal, and he's soon joined by Chicken Man and his feathered companion. Together, they search for a secret invisible island inhabited by intelligent lizards—but once they find it, they may never want to leave.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Regina Hall (One Battle After Another), Tim Heidecker (Us), Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), Andrew Dice Clay (A Star Is Born), and newcomers Arya Parvathi and Theo Clark Leber. The voice cast is equally star-studded, with Colman Domingo (Michael), Jeff Goldblum (Wicked), Rachel McAdams (Send Help), and David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer) lending their talents—presumably as the lizards of the title, most of whom are named Reynold.
Safdie, known for his intense dramas like Good Time and Uncut Gems, co-wrote the script with his frequent collaborator Ronald Bronstein. This marks a significant departure from their previous gritty work, venturing into family-friendly territory with a whimsical, surreal story.
Fans of Johnson's recent projects, like the Black Adam streaming exit, will be eager to see him take on such a radically different role. The actor has been on a roll lately, and this transformation is already generating buzz.
While we wait for Lizard Music, there's plenty of other entertainment news to keep you busy, from Halloweentown's long-awaited return to the Glee reboot drama. But for now, all eyes are on Johnson's incredible metamorphosis.
Lizard Music is scheduled to hit theaters on Christmas Day, 2027, courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. Stay tuned for more updates as the project develops.
