‘The Iron Claw’ trailer: Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White resurrect Von Erichs

Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Maura Tierney, and Holt McCallany bring wrestling back to the territories in the first trailer for Iron Claw.

A wrestling dynasty that never was, the Von Erichs were among the most promising wrestling families of the sport’s first golden age. Then tragedy struck, and then it struck again. And again. And again.

Efron and White feature in A24’s new sports biography “The Iron Claw,” which just debuted its trailer. The movie, which was directed by Sean Durkin, stars Zac Efron as wrestler Kevin Von Erich, also known as the Golden Warrior and a descendant of the illustrious Von Erich wrestling family. Kerry Von Erich, Kevin’s brother, co-stars with White as a heavyweight boxer.

The father of Kevin and Kerry, Fritz Von Erich, is portrayed by Holt McCallany. Fritz was a three-time world champion. The documentary will show the growth and collapse of the prominent wrestling family as well as the lifestyles of the family members. Maura Tierney, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons, and Lily James are also featured.

Directed by Sean Durkin, The Iron Claw digs into the legend, promise, and tragedy of the family. With an eye for authenticity, Durkin’s ring awareness is all over the trailer’s flashback to the Texas territories of the ‘70s and ’80s. It was a time just before Vince McMahon’s WWE (née WWF) took monopolistic control of the pro-wrestling landscape, when the most popular grapplers in the country all shared a last name.

Iron Claw doesn’t seem to shy away from the emotional and physical toll holding predetermined contests takes on the participants, though, like other wrestling movies. With an iron, um, fist, Fritz Von Erich disciplined his guys, making them compete to put butts in chairs. The promise of the family had all but been crushed by the end of the 1980s.