Netflix is continuing its new streak of high quality original films with A-list talent. The streaming service wants to make a seriously large amount of films before year-end and its latest project has acquired the attention of John Cena. Netflix will pair John Cena with Jason Bateman for an action comedy that already sounds like it will be a blast. The new film will feature Cena trapped in a movie studio where the sets come to life.
A WWE superstar turned actor, John Cena has been trying his hand at more and more comedies. And he's really funny in them! Cena's last comedy was Blockers, a movie about three parents who try to stop their daughters from losing their virginity on prom night. While that sounds terrible on paper, it's actually a very sweet and mindful comedy, and Cena does some great comedy. He also butt-chugs beer.
Let's hope that John Cena's comedy hot streak continues with Netflix. While the project is untitled, it will follow a family that gets stuck in an old abandoned movie studio where the sets come to life, trapping the family in various movies. Cena will star while Jason Bateman will direct. According to the Hollywood Reporter, sources say Bateman will also appear in the film.
The screenplay was written by Mark Perez, who also wrote Jason Bateman's sleeper hit Game Night. That was another surprisingly good comedy of 2018, and I'm excited to see how this new untitled project develops. Perez is also writing a live-action Carmen Sandiego movie for Netflix that will star Gina Rodriguez.
Jason Bateman is no stranger to Netflix. In addition to the streaming giant serving as the home to new episodes of Arrested Development, Netflix also airs Bateman's crime drama Ozark. In addition to starring, Bateman also directs several episodes of the show. The new action comedy will be Bateman's second feature film. His directorial debut was the 2013 comedy Bad Words.
John Cena's last movie was Bumblebee, which didn't quite make that large of a splash because of Aquaman. Still, the movie got positive reviews and was seen as a major step up for the Transformers franchise. It also made enough money oversees to justify a sequel, now reportedly in development. He'll next appear in the action movie Project X-Traction, which co-stars Jackie Chan. Cena is also gearing up for a family comedy called Playing with Fire.
This new project sounds like it's assembled the right three guys to bring it to life. It seems like its cut from the same cloth as Game Night, where an outrageous experience evolves from a standard situation...not that getting locked in a movie studio is standard.
There's no release date for this project just yet, but stick with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated as soon as new information becomes available. In the meantime, keep track of all those Netflix releases with our handy guide.
