Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White Transform Into Wrestling Stars in "The Iron Claw" Trailer

A24
A24

Not all sports stories have a happy ending. On Oct. 11, A24 released the trailer for its upcoming wrestling drama "The Iron Claw," inspired by the real-life wrestling siblings the Von Erichs. In the film, Jeremy Allen White plays Kerry Von Erich, the most famous member of the family; Zac Efron stars as Kevin, and Harris Dickinson plays their brother David. The tense trailer for the '80s-set drama previews some of the unbelievable heartache and loss the family went through — leading to a legend that they were "cursed."

In real life, the family's patriarch, Jack Adkisson (played by Holt McCallany), used the name Fritz Von Erich as his wrestling gimmick when he first broke into the sport in the 1950s. Five of his six children would go on to become professional wrestlers as well. When Fritz died in 1997, five of his six sons had died before him; only Kevin was still alive. The film is written and directed by Sean Durkin.

It seems the roles have required all three leading men to bulk up to play the wrestlers. Efron has been vocal in the past about how trying to obtain his "Baywatch" body left him depressed and burnt out. "That 'Baywatch' look, I don't know if that's really attainable. There's just too little water in the skin. Like, it's fake; it looks CGI'd," he told Men's Health in its October 2022 issue. "And that required Lasix, powerful diuretics, to achieve. So I don't need to do that." The actor most recently appeared in 2022's "The Greatest Beer Run Ever" and "Firestarter."

White, meanwhile, is coming off of the second season of "The Bear," the breakout, Emmy-winning hit that also scored its lead star his first-ever Golden Globe award.

Ahead, find out everything else we know about "The Iron Claw" so far.

"The Iron Claw" Trailer

click to play video

"The Iron Claw" Cast

Joining White, Efron, and Dickinson in the cast are McCallany, Maura Tierney, and Lily James.

"The Iron Claw" Release Date

The film hits theaters on Dec. 22.