John Cena’s transition to movies in one form or another seems to be going full steam ahead. The wrestler turned actor is reportedly in talks to star in the movie adaptation of the video game Duke Nukem.
Duke Nukem is a video game series named for its protagonist Duke Nukem, a politically incorrect action hero that is now set up at Paramount. Created by the company Apogee Software Ltd. (now 3D Realms) as a series of video games for IBM-compatible personal computers, the series expanded to games released for various consoles.
The video games follow muscular adventures of its titular protagonist, who initially was a combination 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 film, which is seen as a vehicle for Cena, is at a very early stage, without even a director on board. The search for a writer to develop a story is due to be imminent. The film had previously been set up by Dimension Films but with no movement on development, over time, Dimension last the rights which subsequently were picked up by Paramount.
Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes will produce the movie. Platinum Dunes is one of the companies behind the Purge action franchise and has produced the Ninja Turtles movies for Paramount.
After a recent cameo in Daddy’s Home 2 and voicing the bull in Ferdinand, John Cena will also be starring in comedy Blockers alongside Leslie Mann, the transformers spin-off Bumblebee as Agent Burns and voicing Baron Draxum in the TV series of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
