Long Thai
The Hollywood Reporter has word that WWE superstar and actor John Cena is currently in talks to star as the titular character in the film adaptation of the classic Duke Nukem video game.
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 10: John Cena attends the screening of 20th Century Fox’s “Ferdinand” at Zanuck Theater at 20th Century Fox Lot on December 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
No director is on board at this stage. A search for a writer will begin soon to develop a script for what is intended to be a starring vehicle for Cena.
The Nukem video games follow the muscular adventures of their titular protagonist, who initially was a mashup of action-hero tropes. The cigar-chomping figure has been fighting aliens in order to save planet Earth since 1991, when the first game was released.
The project was previously set up at Dimension Films, but after the rights lapsed Paramount picked them up from Gearbox Software, the company behind the game.
Platinum Dunes is one of the companies behind the Purge action franchise and has produced the Ninja Turtles movies for Paramount. It next has the John Krasinski-directed horror movie A Quiet Place, which is set to open April 6.
Cena has quietly made Paramount his de facto movie home, having appeared in the studio’s Daddy’s Home 2,which has grossed over $100 million domestically; he also is set to appear in Bumblebee, the studio’s Transformers spinoff, which Bay produced.