Dwayne Johnson looks completely different as an elderly man in upcoming film Lizard Music

Dwayne Johnson is teaming up with filmmaker Benny Safdie for a new children's movie titled Lizard Music. In the film, the actor plays a 70-year-old character known as the Chicken Man. Photos of Johnson from the movie set in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday showed him wearing a beige jacket, a bucket hat, a blue shirt, and a printed tie.

Movie Details and Cast

The production uses heavy prosthetic work to age the 54-year-old actor by 16 years. Lizard Music is based on Daniel Pinkwater's popular 1976 children's novel about a young boy who finds strange lizard musicians on late-night television and befriends a peculiar man with an elderly chicken. The movie features a star-studded cast including Rachel McAdams, Colman Domingo, Jeff Goldblum, Alicia Silverstone, and Regina Hall.

Behind the Scenes

Prosthetic artist Kazu Hiro created the transformation for Johnson. Hiro previously designed a similar age-related transformation for Tom Cruise in Alejandro Inarritu's satire Digger. Johnson and Safdie previously worked together on the sports film The Smashing Machine, where the actor played former MMA player Mark Kerr. During his career retrospective at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, Johnson stated he was excited to transform again, noting he lost 30 pounds for the role.

Release Schedule

Amazon MGM Studios is backing Lizard Music, which will release in cinemas on December 25 next year for Christmas. Before that film arrives, Johnson will return to his action roots this year on Christmas by playing Dr. Xander Bravestone in Jake Kasdan's Jumanji: Open World. That fifth and final instalment of the Jumanji franchise also stars Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Alex Wolff, and Danny DeVito.

Context

Hollywood studios frequently adapt popular children's books into feature films to attract family audiences during the holiday season. Heavy prosthetic make-up allows well-known action stars to take on unusual character roles that differ from their typical box-office personas.