Amazon MGM Dates Benny Safdie's 'Lizard Music' for Christmas 2027

Amazon MGM Studios is staking out prime holiday real estate nearly three years in advance, setting a Dec. 25, 2027 theatrical release for the live-action and CGI hybrid *Lizard Music*, Deadline reports.

Directed by Benny Safdie, the feature stars Dwayne Johnson alongside young actor Theo Clark Leber. The production marks a notable stylistic departure for both Johnson and Safdie, combining traditional live performance with digital character animation.

The narrative centers on a solitary boy, played by Leber, who is left to his own devices and accidentally discovers a mysterious late-night television broadcast featuring lizards performing otherworldly music. The strange transmission serves as a gateway to a hidden, surreal reality.

The project deepens the creative ties between Johnson and Safdie. The pair recently collaborated on A24's upcoming mixed martial arts drama *The Smashing Machine*, which Safdie wrote and directed with Johnson portraying real-life UFC pioneer Mark Kerr.

Locking in a Christmas Day corridor this far out underscores Amazon MGM's ambition to position the hybrid title as a cornerstone family offering for the 2027 holiday season. From the perspective of Hollywood Tomorrow, the project also highlights Johnson's sustained effort to align himself with auteur directors and non-traditional intellectual property.

Further details regarding supporting casting, visual effects vendors, and production start dates have not yet been announced by the studio.