WWE News: John Cena In Talks To Star In “Duke Nukem”
John Cena is currently in talks to star in the Duke Nukem film adaptation, according to Variety. The film, based on the long-running first-person shooter franchise Duke Nukem, looks to be eyeing John Cena to play the foul-mouthed hero himself.
“Duke Nukem first appeared in the 1991 eponymous video game, developed by Apogee Software, as a muscular cigar-chomping man who always wears Ray-Bans and sports a flat-top haircut as he fights aliens to save planet Earth by using enormous physical strength and his expertise in firearms. He’s appeared in 19 video games as the title character, most recently in ‘Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour.'”
No director or writers are currently attached, though the project is set up with Michael Bay’s production company Platinum Dunes at Paramount Pictures. John Cena will also be seen starring in another Michael Bay-produced project, the Transformers spinoff Bumblee The Movie, in theaters this Christmas.
John Cena was most recently heard in theaters this past holiday season providing the voice for the title character in 20th Century Fox’s Ferdinand, which was just nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
So happy @FerdinandMovie was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film. The cast, crew, directors, producers, and more importantly, its message, are amazing. Thank you to @TheAcademy for recognizing a story that reminds us to be proud of who we are. #Oscars2018
— John Cena (@JohnCena) January 23, 2018
Tommy’s Thoughts: Call John Cena’s movie career over now, because this will be an amazing fit for Big Match John if it goes through.
My relationship with Mr. Nikki Bella may be a love/hate one, but I have nothing but fond memories of after school spent playing Duke Nukem 64. Any wrestling fans who’ve been demanding to see Cena with an Attitude Era edge will want to keep their eyes on this project, as it would be Cena’s first chance at playing an over-the-top action character like those that made Arnold Schwarzenegger or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson famous. Even if it is a curious choice for a video-game-to-movie adaptation: the property was arguably at its peak 20 years ago, with 2011’s Duke Nukem Forever having taken 15 years (!!!) of development.
Sure, the movie might suck, since anything with Michael Bay’s fingerprints nowadays tends to lean towards mindless action. But Duke Nukem was always at its core the mindless fun alternative compared to its counterparts Doom & Wolfenstein, so maybe having an expert in the field of big budget blockbusters isn’t that bad of an idea.
I’m just interested to see how they’ll get this into the movie…