DALLAS — Jeremy Allen White has been cast as Kerry Von Erich in A24′s upcoming biopic on the Von Erich family, "The Iron Claw."
White, who starred in FX’s comedy-drama "The Bear," will join Zac Efron in the film about the triumphs and tragedies of the Texas wrestling dynasty.
Expect a lot of creative camera work in making sure their statures match up with the actual Von Erichs’.
Here is the cast so far and their roles, plus their heights:
—White is 5-foot-6 playing Kerry Von Erich, who was 6-2.
—Efron is 5-foot-8 playing Kevin Von Erich, who was 6-4.
—Harris Dickinson, is 6-foot-2 playing David Von Erich, who was 6-7.
Kerry, David and Kevin are the best known of the six Von Erich siblings, who began their wrestling careers in the late 1970s and rose to fame in the 1980s. They were known for selling out the Dallas Sportatorium and other arenas several times during their feud with The Fabulous Freebirds.
"The Iron Claw" is based on the rise and fall of the Von Erichs, who helped bring pro wrestling into the mainstream but also saw their fair share of adversity. Of the six Von Erich children fathered by Fritz Von Erich, five died tragically. Kerry died by suicide in 1993 at age 33.
The film likely gets its name from the nickname and trademark move of Fritz Von Erich, a 23-time world champion.
Deadline reported that White will take on the project to keep him busy as "The Bear" goes into uh ... hibernation. White, 31, will be hanging up his kitchen apron and likely going mostly shirtless as Kerry Von Erich.
Dickinson, 26, was seen recently in "Where the Crawdads Sing" and "See How They Run."
The Iron Claw was developed by House Productions with the support of Access Entertainment and BBC Films. A24 and Access Industries are co-financing the film, which will be written and directed by Sean Durkin. Producing alongside A24 are Tessa Ross, Derrin Schlesinger and Harrison Huffman.
Durkin drew attention with his breakout film "Martha Marcy May Marlene," which earned him Best Director at Sundance in 2011. "The Nest," his second film, premiered at Sundance in 2020.
Efron, 34, has been promoting his new film, T"he Greatest Beer Run Ever," which premieres Sept. 30 on Apple TV+.
“It’s another family portrait, about a wrestling family who revolutionized the sport and then suffered tragedy,” Durkin told Deadline in 2020 as he was scripting the Von Erich film.
A release date has not been announced.
In the meantime, they’ll also need to bulk up for their roles. The Von Erich children were muscled up with thick necks and were all stellar athletes at Lake Dallas High School.
———
