The Iron Claw is A24's acclaimed Von Erich family biopic from Sean Durkin. However, the film notably omitted done brother, Chris Von Erich, and the director recently addressed this.
Too much tragedy?
Talking to the LA Times, Durkin says the inclusion of Chris Von Erich would have been redundant. He was included in earlier drafts of the scripts before ultimately being dropped. In fact, Chris was in the script for five years, Durkin revealed. In the end, they wrote parts of his story into Mike (played by Stanley Simons).
“There was a repetition to it, and it was one more tragedy that the film couldn't really withstand,” Durkin revealed. “I honestly don't know if it would have gotten made.”
Chris Von Erich was the youngest son in the family. He passed away at 21 in September 1991.
The Iron Claw chronicles the journey of the acclaimed Von Erich family. Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson star in the film as Kevin, Kerry, and David Von Erich. Holt McCallany plays their father, Fritz, and Maura Tierney plays Doris, their mother.
Also featured in the film are Lily James and real-life wrestlers. Those include currently AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, known as MJF, Chavo Guerrero Jr., and Ryan Nemeth.
The film premiered in November 2023 as the SAG-AFTRA strike concluded. A24 released The Iron Claw in theaters on December 22. To date, the film has made $8.5 million at the box office after a $4.8 million opening weekend. On Christmas Day, the film made $1.9 million.
The Iron Claw is in theaters.
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