It remains to be seen if MJF is actually turning face or just baiting fans, or if he’ll be able to win the AEW World Championship away from Jon Moxley at Full Gear. But while we wait for the answers to both of those questions, one thing is for sure: He’ll soon legitimately be able to call himself a movie star.
Deadline broke the exclusive news today that MJF was joining the cast of “The Iron Claw,” A24’s upcoming film that details the real life triumphs and tragedies of Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family. The previously announced cast includes Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich and Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich, as well as Maura Tierney and Lily James,
While Deadline’s article didn’t include the role MJF would be playing, Mike Johnson of PWInsider followed up with a report that MJF will portray Lance Von Erich, a wrestler (real name: William Kevin Vaughan) brought in to round out the in-ring Von Erich clan who was not related to them in real life. Johnson also added that the movie role was the reason why MJF was written off TV recently thanks to an attack by The Firm.
“The Iron Claw” already had a nice buzz of pro wrestling legitimacy thanks to Efron looking jacked for his role and reports that Chavo Guerrero is serving as the coordinator for the wrestling scenes. Marshall Von Erich, the younger of Kevin Von Erich’s two wrestling sons, commented on both of those aspects of the film on social media last month.
Great physic, looks like he’s taking this seriously, really excited to see how this turns out. Glad to know @mexwarrior is involved #TheIronClaw #VonErichs pic.twitter.com/zYNcuoJR4n
— Marshall Von Erich (@MarshallVonEric) October 26, 2022
MJF had hinted at landing a “huge” movie role prior to this announcement, including in an appearance on the NotSam Wrestling podcast in October. And truthfully he’s never been shy about his Hollywood ambitions, talking about them almost as often (and occasionally at the same times) as he’s discussed his 2024 free agent status.
Juggling his work as one of AEW’s most captivating young talents and acting roles will take some doing, but MJF is nothing if not driven, and he’s hardly the first wrestler to go this route. At the very least, fans who can’t get enough of him will have more screens to watch him on in the not too distant future, as “The Iron Claw” is targeting a 2023 release.