Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has undergone a dramatic transformation for Lizard Music, appearing almost unrecognisable as a 70-year-old character known as Chicken Man in new photographs from the film’s Brooklyn set, per huffingtonpost.co.uk.
Johnson was photographed in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday while filming the Benny Safdie-directed fantasy adventure.
He wore a beige overcoat and bucket hat, along with a grey wig, facial hair and prosthetics that aged him substantially.
The 54-year-old plays Chicken Man, described as a whimsical, eccentric man in his seventies who keeps an elderly chicken. Johnson has said he lost about 30lb of muscle to help portray the character, having previously gained weight to play former MMA fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine.
The prosthetic transformation was created by Kazu Hiro, the Oscar-winning makeup artist who also designed Tom Cruise’s aged appearance for Digger. Hiro previously worked with Johnson on The Smashing Machine.
“Lizard Music” is based on Daniel Pinkwater’s children’s book of the same name. Mubi describes the film as a fantasy family adventure in which a young boy discovers strange lizard musicians on late-night television and befriends Chicken Man, leading the pair into hidden worlds and an unlikely friendship.
The film reunites Johnson with Safdie following The Smashing Machine, which was released in 2025. Johnson’s young co-star Theo Leber was also photographed on set.
“Lizard Music” is scheduled for release in December 2027.
•Featured image: It’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as you’ve never seen him before/XNY/GC Images