AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENA.
WWE star John Cena is currently in talks with Paramount to star in their upcoming Duke Nukem movie, a film based off a much beloved video-game franchise.
The first Duke Nukem game was released in 1991, introducing the world to the loud-mouthed, muscular protagonist who fights aliens that are here to destroy planet Earth. The character of Duke Nukem has always been somewhat of a parody of clichéd action heroes. Total, there have now been 19 games in which Duke Nukem has appeared in, the latest being Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour.
The news, which was first broken by Entertainment Weekly, states that the film does not yet have a director, nor does it have a writer. However, not that the project has gained some traction, that’s likely to change sometime in the near future.
We do know, however, that the film is being produced by Platinum Dunes — the company that is owned and operated by Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller.
Rest easy, because that doesn’t necessarily mean Bay will be attached to the project. Platinum Dunes has launched several franchises that Bay hasn’t directed in the past few years; such as The Purge, Ouija and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Their next film will be John Krasinski’s horror/thriller A Quiet Place, which hits theaters on April 6.
Cena has not yet signed on to Duke Nukem, meaning this deal is not yet official. However, Cena has been working well with Paramount for the past few years and helped contribute a decent profit for the company. He appeared in Daddy’s Home 2, which grossed over $100 million at the domestic box office, as well as voicing the title character in Ferdinand.
Cena can also been seen in the upcoming comedy Blockers and Travis Knight’s Transformers spin-off Bumblebee.