A24’s ‘The Iron Claw,’ release date and cast

When it comes to A24, biographical sports dramas aren’t typically the first, second, or even third thing to spring to one’s mind. Indeed, anyone familiar with the arthouse studio’s endeavors would be much quicker to associate it with daring horror features, surreal character dramas, and Oscar-winning films featuring the concept of a multiverse; a sentence that only A24 could have ever made into a true one.

But the studio is nevertheless primed to delve into sports biopic territory with The Iron Claw, a play on the iron claw wrestling hold popularized by the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers, of which the film’s subject — Kevin Von Erich — is a part of.

Due in theaters later this year, it looks like The Iron Claw is pulling out quite a few stops in the realm of casting, with a fair shake of big names populating what will no doubt be one of the genre’s more harrowing entries, given the imminent subject matter of the Von Erich curse; the colloquial term for the many tragedies that befell the family over the years.

But who exactly is shoring up The Iron Claw‘s call sheet, and when will it be making its rounds in theaters? Here’s all you need to know about A24’s The Iron Claw.

When does The Iron Claw come out?

A24 is due to release The Iron Claw on December 22 of this year, putting it in competition with Illumination’s star-studded animated family flick Migration and Zack Snyder’s Netflix-exclusive sci-fi epic Rebel Moon.

Who are The Iron Claw‘s cast members?

Zac Efron leads the charge as Kevin Von Erich – former WCWA World Heavyweight champion and the last surviving member of the second generation of the Von Erich family. Lily James will star as Pam Adkisson, Kevin’s wife.

The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White co-stars with Efron and James as Kerry Von Erich — Kevin’s brother — who held over 40 championships during his wrestling career, and who tragically took his life in 1993.

He was the third member of the Von Erich family’s second generation to die by suicide, the other two being Mike Von Erich — who will be portrayed by Stanley Simons — and Chris Von Erich, who will not appear in the film.

Other members of the Von Erich family set to appear are Kevin’s younger brother David Von Erich (Harris Dickinson), family patriarch Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany), and his wife Doris Von Erich (Maura Tierney). Wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman will portray Lance Von Erich, a professional wrestler of the era who only adopted the Von Erich name in the ring — a move that angered most of the family despite Fritz’s insistence on him doing so — and was not actually a part of the family.

The wrestlers Michael Hayes, Ric Flair, Harley Race, Bruiser Body, The Sheik, and Gino Hernandez will also all appear as characters in the film, and be portrayed by Brady Pierce, Aaron Dean Eisenberg, Kevin Anton, Cazzey Louis Cereghino, Chavo Guerrero Jr., and Ryan Nemeth, respectively.