Dwayne Johnson's 'Lizard Music' lands Christmas Day 2027 as Amazon MGM's family fantasy bet

Amazon MGM Studios has locked in December 25, 2027 for 'Lizard Music,' a live-action/CGI hybrid directed by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson — who spent five hours in the makeup chair every day to play an eccentric man in his 70s known as the Chicken Man.

The film, based on Daniel Pinkwater's 1976 children's novel that has circled Hollywood for nearly two decades, follows a young boy — played by newcomer Theo Clark Leber — who stumbles upon a secret late-night broadcast of lizards playing otherworldly music. That discovery leads him to the Chicken Man and his 111-year-old chicken, Claudia.

It is the second collaboration between Johnson and Safdie, who previously worked together on 'The Smashing Machine,' released in 2025. Johnson has described his pitch for the new film as: 'Imagine Willy Wonka but from the mind of Benny Safdie.'

I'm your Chicken Man.— Dwayne Johnson, actor

The ensemble cast includes Alicia Silverstone, Tim Heidecker, Arya Parvathi, Regina Hall, and Andrew Dice Clay, with Colman Domingo, Jeff Goldblum, Rachel McAdams, and David Krumholtz providing voice roles. Principal photography began August 3, 2026 and wrapped October 14, 2026 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with Maceo Bishop as cinematographer.

Amazon MGM acquired the project in October 2025 under its United Artists label, with Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt producing. Johnson lost a significant amount of weight for the role in addition to undergoing the daily prosthetic transformation.

The Christmas Day slot puts 'Lizard Music' on the same date as Amazon MGM's own 'Alone at Dawn,' directed by Ron Howard and starring Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway, as well as Warner Bros.' 'Paris Paramount' from Nancy Meyers — meaning Amazon MGM will have two of its own releases competing on the same day. The film also opens a week after the scheduled December 17 arrival of Marvel's 'Avengers: Secret Wars,' New Line's 'Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,' and Lionsgate's 'The Housemaid's Secret,' though according to worldofreel.com, 'Avengers: Secret Wars' may yet be pushed to 2028.

Why it matters — A Safdie-directed family fantasy with a prosthetic-heavy Dwayne Johnson, adapted from a cult children's novel and positioned as a Christmas Day tentpole, represents an unusual creative and commercial bet by Amazon MGM at one of the year's most competitive release windows.

Reported by variety.com, deadline.com, en.wikipedia.org, worldofreel.com