21 October,2026 03:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Dwayne Johnson. Pics via X
Dwayne Johnson is trading his action-hero look for that of a 70-year-old man in Lizard Music, his upcoming fantasy adventure directed by Benny Safdie. The actor, 54, was recently spotted filming in Brooklyn, New York, sporting an aged appearance created with extensive prosthetics. The film marks Johnson's reunion with Safdie after they collaborated on the sports drama The Smashing Machine.
Pictures from the sets surfaced online, showing Johnson dressed in a beige jacket, blue shirt, printed tie and bucket hat. The actor plays Chicken Man, an eccentric elderly character at the centre of the story. For the role, Johnson underwent a significant physical transformation, including shedding 30 pounds.
Speaking about his preparation at the Toronto International Film Festival, Johnson revealed that he lost the weight by "eating less chicken". The transformation also involved prosthetic makeup to make the actor appear considerably older, marking another departure from his familiar action-star image.
Based on Daniel Pinkwater's 1976 children's novel of the same name, Lizard Music follows a young boy who discovers unusual lizard musicians while watching a late-night television broadcast. His discovery leads him to an encounter with Chicken Man, a peculiar elderly man accompanied by a chicken.
The film brings together an ensemble cast featuring Rachel McAdams, Colman Domingo, Jeff Goldblum, Alicia Silverstone and Regina Hall. Amazon MGM Studios is backing the project, which is scheduled to release theatrically on December 25, 2027.
For Johnson's transformation, Safdie enlisted prosthetic makeup artist Kazu Hiro, known for his work on major film productions. Hiro recently worked on Tom Cruise's aged appearance in filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's satirical black comedy Digger.
Before Lizard Music, Johnson is set to return to theatres this Christmas with Jumanji: Open World. He reprises his role as Dr Xander Bravestone in the Jake Kasdan-directed adventure, which is positioned as the fifth and final instalment in the franchise.
The film features returning cast members Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas, alongside Awkwafina, Alex Wolff and Danny DeVito.
Johnson was last seen in the 2026 live-action musical adventure Moana, adapted from Disney Animation's 2016 film. With Lizard Music, the actor is set to take on yet another distinct screen identity, this time playing an elderly man in a fantasy adventure rooted in children's literature.
