“The Iron Claw” Trailer Finds Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White Ready to Rumble

The first trailer for A24’s The Iron Claw has leaped into the ring. Writer/director Sean Durkin (The Nest, Martha Marcy May Marlene) has taken on the true story of the Von Erich brothers, a trio of supremely talented and extremely close siblings who were wrestling phenoms in the early 1980s. Durkin and casting director Susan Shopmaker have put together a terrific ensemble, including Zac Efron, The Bear breakout star Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson as the three brothers. Their coach is their father, Fritz (played by Mindhunters star Holt McCallany)—always a recipe for turmoil—a hard-charging and domineering figure the brothers live to make proud.

Efron stars as Kevin Von Erich, the Golden Warrior, while White is Kerry and Dickinson is David. Fritz himself was once a three-time world champion wrestler, and he instilled in his boys a will to win, to dominate, to live and breathe wrestling no matter the costs. Those costs piled up as the family endured a string of tragedies. You can’t watch The Iron Claw trailer without noticing just how bulky and ripped Efron and White got for their respective roles. While both guys were already muscular, White revealed to GQ that his goal for preparing for the role was to put on 40 pounds of muscle.

Durkin made a big splash with Martha Marcy May Marlene, and more recently with The Nest, and is comfortable with the psychology of bonds that both sustain and devour people. The Iron Claw will plunge into the bonds that bound the Von Erichs together like the ropes of a wrestling ring and the tumult that existed outside of the ring’s parameters.  It’s rich material for a talented filmmaker, cast, and crew to explore.

Joining the aforementioned cast are Lily James, Maura Tierney, Brady Pierce, Kevin Anton, Brett Beoubay, and Cazzey Louis Cereghino.

Check out the trailer below. The Iron Claw hits theaters this December 22.

Here’s the official synopsis:

The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

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Featured image: Zac Efron in “The Iron Claw.” Courtesy A24.