Wow. Check Out Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White in A24's Wrestling Drama, 'The Iron Claw'

By Andrew Sanford | Film | October 11, 2023 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | October 11, 2023 |

Professional wrestlers have a penchant for living tragic lives. The wrestling boom of the ’80s left a lot of people with more money than they knew what to do with and no training to help handle it. There are also plenty of wrestlers who spend their lives beating their bodies to a pulp, only to be lucky if they wrestle in front of a crowd of twenty people. The Von Erich family exemplifies the tragedy or curse of professional wrestling.

The family’s origins begin in Texas. The patriarch, Fritz Von Erich (real name Jack Adkisson), was an internationally successful wrestler and pushed his children to do the same. The Von Erich family is wrestling royalty and will have their story told in a film from A24. It is called The Iron Claw and stars Zac Efron, Lily James, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and Holt McCallany.

My bias may be showing (I love pro wrestling), but this movie looks great. I’m an easy mark for shows or films that take pro wrestling seriously. It can certainly be silly, but that is not the story I’m interested in. Without getting into spoilers, the story of the Von Erich family is not happy. Still, it is an interesting story that can shed light on the pressures of family and being in the spotlight. It will also likely focus on how important mental health is.

The cast is stacked. Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White both got in wrestling shape (which, as Chris pointed out, probably isn’t that healthy). The moves they are doing look as real as can be. We haven’t even gotten a look at Maxwell Jacob Friedman yet (if you want to look cool to your pro-wrestling friends, tell them how awesome MJF is).

Not only is the trailer solid, but A24’s name being attached inspires me with hope. I can’t think of another studio that would fund a project like this on such a big scale. That might explain why A24 is pivoting to bigger blockbusters, but if it means we still get niche movies like this, I’ll take it.

A24 is reportedly searching for “action and big IP projects” in an effort to “to expand into more commercial films.”

(https://t.co/N8cNWmOEJe) pic.twitter.com/jwlrl1BD1e

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) October 11, 2023