Benny Safdie’s ‘Lizard Music’ Casts 10-Year-Old Theo Leber Opposite Dwayne Johnson — Shoots in August

Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” was so underwhelming that I completely forgot he’s supposed to shoot a new film this year — yet again starring Dwayne Johnson.

Chicago-area 4th grader Theo Leber has been cast in his first feature film, landing the lead role opposite Johnson in Safdie’s “Lizard Music,” an adaptation of Daniel Pinkwater’s 1976 novel for Amazon/MGM Studios and United Artists. The 10-year-old won the role after a months-long casting search.

The live-action/CGI hybrid follows a young boy, played by Leber, who discovers a mysterious late-night broadcast featuring lizards making strange, otherworldly music. His curiosity leads him to a hidden world and to an unusual friendship with The Chicken Man, an eccentric older man portrayed by Johnson, and his 111-year-old chicken companion, Claudia.

“Lizard Music,” which is supposed to shoot in August, is eyeing a 2027 release, most likely in the summer.

Johnson has looked noticeably slimmer of late, and speaking with Variety, he explained that his changing physique was part of his preparation for this next role. “I’ve been dieting,” he said at the Los Angeles premiere. “It feels good not to carry all that weight. I can tuck in my shirt now… I don’t look pregnant, so it’s all good.”

Following his work on “The Smashing Machine,” Safdie is continuing his solo directing venture — his brother, Josh, ran circles around him last year with “Marty Supreme,” a wonderful film that aligned well with the visceral gutter poetry style of cinema found in the Safdies’ previous efforts, “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems.”

Hey, I’m not losing hope in Benny — if you’ve seen “The Curse,” a great Showtime series, you know he has the potential to be a visionary. I’m just not sure if “Lizard Music” is what will prove the haters wrong.