Report: 'Iron Claw' Movie On The Von Erich Family Considered Disappointing

Professional wrestling will be heading back to the silver screen, potentially at some point in 2023, with A24 set to release The Iron Claw, a movie covering the rise and fall of the Von Erich family from the 1960s to the present day. The movie has already been filmed and features the likes of Zac Efron, Lily James, and All Elite Wrestling's MJF, who plays Lance Von Erich. 

While pro wrestling movies in The Wrestler have won awards in the past, fans may have to temper their expectations for The Iron Claw. A pre-screening of the movie was held over the past week and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported those who saw it thought it was better than Ready to Rumble but worse than The Wrestler. The movie was said to be disappointing as A24 chose a "safe, boring" way to tell the Von Erich story and the movie "doesn't effectively communicate or commit to anything." The Iron Claw is believed to be largely finished but some things could be changed based on feedback from the screening. 

The focus of The Iron Claw is Kevin Von Erich living through the deaths of all of his brothers but the movie reportedly makes all of the deaths look like flukes while avoiding looking at issues with addiction and the pressures of fame. 

Meltzer further noted that the movie's production was good, and the script and verbiage were poor. The acting was said to be good in some cases but those who saw the movie were critical of Holt McCallany, who portrays Fritz Von Erich, and Aaron Dean Eisenberg, who was cast in the role of Ric Flair. Eisenberg's performance was reportedly "embarrassing" and people in the audience openly laughed when he cut a promo as Flair. 

MJF, meanwhile, only has a small part in the movie and it is unknown if he has any lines in The Iron Claw.