‘The Iron Claw’: Trailer drops for biopic about Von Erich wrestling family

The new trailer for the upcoming biopic about the Von Erichs dropped on Wednesday, and it takes a look at the triumphs and tragedies of the family that shaped pro wrestling in Texas and beyond.

>> Read more trending news

“The Iron Claw” -- named for the finishing move started by family patriarch Fritz Von Erich -- is scheduled for nationwide release on Dec. 22, The Dallas Morning News reported.

There is plenty of action in the film, with a bulked-up Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White starring as Kevin Von Erich and Kerry Von Erich, the family’s most popular wrestlers, according to Deadline.

A24′s biographical drama focuses on the two brothers and their siblings, who grew up and began their pro wrestling careers in Dallas, the Morning News reported.

Fritz Von Erich, a football star at Southern Methodist University under his legal name, Jack Adkisson, will be played by Holt McCallany, according to “Today.” Harris Dickinson will play David Von Erich and Stanley Simons is cast in the role of Mike Von Erich, the website reported.

Maura Tierney plays the clan’s matriarch, Doris Von Erich, the Morning News reported.

The new trailer is set ominously to the music of Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” according to Deadline.

Tragedy befell the Von Erich family, with five of Fritz and Doris’ sons dying at young ages. Kevin Von Erich was the only son to outlive his father.

A spokesperson for the Von Erich family said they will withhold comment on the film until they screen it next week, the newspaper reported.

Jack Adkisson adopted the Von Erich surname to fortify his role as a wrestling heel, cultivated a “Nazi villain persona” and a “terrifying figure,” according to Dallas’ D Magazine. He later switched and became a “babyface” but kept the last name, “Today” reported.

In addition to starring in the ring, Fritz Von Erich ran World Class Championship Wrestling, a promotion based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Kevin Von Erich won a World Class Championship Wrestling championship and several regional titles before retiring in 1993 and moving to Hawaii in 2006, according to the Morning News. He talked about the movie during a Sept. 1 stop in Dallas on his “An Evening with Kevin Von Erich: Stories From the Top Rope” tour.

Tragedies that struck the family through the years were referred to as “the Von Erich curse.”

The oldest son, Jack Adkisson Jr., died in 1959 when he was accidentally electrocuted and fell facedown in a puddle, “D Magazine” reported.

David Von Erich died in Japan from an intestinal infection in 1984, according to the Morning News. Between 1987 and 1993, Mike, Chris, and Kerry Von Erich each committed suicide a few years apart -- Mike Von Erich by drug overdose in 1987, when he was 23; Chris Von Erich by a gunshot to the head in 1991, when he was 22; and Kerry Von Erich by a gunshot to the chest in 1993, when he was 33.

Kevin Von Erich has two sons and two daughters. Ross and Marshall Von Erich are now the family’s third generation of wrestlers, signing with Major League Wrestling in 2019, according to the Morning News.

The last surviving brother is content to watch his sons.

“I knew I didn’t want to get old in the ring,” Kevin Von Erich said in a WWE feature. “The real thing that took me out of the business was that it wasn’t fun anymore. Everything reminded me of my brothers.”

Memories will be rekindled with the release of “The Iron Claw,” but Kerry Von Erich said he was looking forward to the film and was glad to see Efron portray his life.

“I think the guy is great,” Kevin Von Erich said in May, according to the Morning News. “He’s got a great body. My sons met Zac and they think he’s a super great guy.”

©2023 Cox Media Group