Dwayne Johnson to star in, produce film about UFC champion Mark Kerr

Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson is set to play MMA fighter and UFC champion Mark Kerr in a feature film, which he also produce through his company, Seven Bucks Productions.

The wrestler-turner-actor will produce the film with production partners Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia, and frequent collaborator Beau Flynn.

According to Variety, the announcement was made in a surprise press conference on Friday evening at Madison Square Garden in New York.

"Mark Kerr's story is such an incredible story. Like all of us, and like a lot of these fighters, he battled these demons these demons of addiction, these demons of mental health, these demons of getting out and the pressure of fighting in front of 50,000 people and what that does to somebody.

"Here's a guy who has gone through it all, hit rock bottom, but the best part about Mark Kerr is that, like all of us in this room and all these fighters, these warriors, is that everyday, we get up and we want to do a little bit better tomorrow than we did today," Johnson said.

Kerr, a two-time UFC heavyweight champ, was widely regarded as the best fighter in the world during his MMA career.

The actor said the role is an opportunity for him to throw light on one of "our warriors, who not only deserves it, but who has such universal appeal and a universal story."