Chicago-area 4th grader Theo Clark Leber has secured a major starring role alongside Dwayne Johnson in the upcoming film Lizard Music, Deadline reported. This project is a feature film adaptation of the 1976 novel by Daniel Pinkwater, and it is being directed by Benny Safdie for Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists.
The 10-year-old actor went through a casting process that lasted for months before winning the part. This film will mark his feature debut, which is quite the way to start a career in the industry. Leber is an up-and-comer from Evanston, Illinois, who enjoys playing lacrosse and football when he is not acting. He also spends time with his friends and keeps busy with his interests in art and history. Before this massive break, he was seen in a production of Leopoldstadt put on by Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois.
The film is a live-action and CGI hybrid that follows a boy, played by Leber, who is left to his own devices. He eventually discovers a secret late-night broadcast featuring lizards playing otherworldly music, which leads him into an extraordinary world. His journey for answers brings him to an eccentric and whimsical character known as The Chicken Man, played by Dwayne Johnson. The Chicken Man has a beloved companion, a 111-year-old chicken named Claudia.
The story describes these three as kindred spirits who found each other at just the right time
They head off on an adventure that starts as a hunt for a hidden society but turns into a voyage through invisible worlds and unexpected harmonies. It is a story about the unbreakable bond between lost souls who find magic in each other.
Benny Safdie wrote this film as his follow-up to The Smashing Machine. That A24 sports drama also starred Dwayne Johnson and earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as the former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr.
The production team behind Lizard Music includes Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt for United Artists, along with Safdie for Out for the Count Productions. Dwayne Johnson is also producing for Seven Bucks Productions, and David Koplan is involved for Magnetic Fields Entertainment.
Leber is currently represented by a team that includes Matt Fletcher at Arise Artist Agency and Laura Alexander at Talent X Alexander. His legal representation is handled by attorney Jeff Hynick at Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Published: Jul 20, 2026 07:15 pm