One of the biggest films that helped WWE superstar John Cena break out as an actor was no doubt Blockers. The 2018 movie saw Cena take on the starring role of Michell Mannes, an overbearing father who gets wind of his daughter’s pact with friends to lose their virginity on prom night. While Cena had definitely done comedy before, Blockers was really a spotlight moment for him, convincing a whole new audience demographic that he could be a box office draw as a comedian and not just an action star.
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Of course, John Cena didn’t make Blockers work as a comedy alone – he had talented people who helped him do the heavy lifting of creating laughter. Blockers was also a great opportunity for Cena’s co-star Ike Barinholtz, who had been bubbling for some time with supporting and/or bit roles in The Neighbors movies, Eastbound & Down, The Mindy Project, MADtv, Disaster Movie, and other projects.
Since Blockers came out, both Cena and Barinholtz have blown up in their careers, taking on bigger movie roles in bigger franchises. While Cena is getting set for his next film in The Fast Saga (Fast X) Barinholtz is even leading a new comedic sketch comedy show from none other than Mel Brooks: the long-awaited History of the World, Part II. While doing the press day for History of the World, Part II, Ike Barinholtz spoke about the possibility of a Blockers sequel and revealed that he’s actually texted Cena about doing it!
“You know I was just texting with John Cena yesterday, and you know… high school kids gotta go to college! And college kids gotta go to graduate school!”
After some joking with History of the World, Part II co-star Nick Kroll, Barinholtz teased just how far the Blockers franchise could possibly go: “Bring your grandparents to school day – and then we go off on a horny adventure. We’re older… but I don’t know, sounds kind of fun.”
To the credit of Blockers, it’s not just Barinholtz and Cena who have become hard to pin down since Blockers came out – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Kathryn Newton also got some comedic cred from starring in Blockers. Getting Cena, Barinholtz, Newton (and their famous co-stars) all back together again for a mid-level comedy will be a feat, indeed.
I you haven’t seen Blcokers, here’s the synopsis:
Single mother Lisa Decker drops off her young daughter, Julie, for her first day of kindergarten. She watches on as Julie is joined by two other girls, Kayla and Sam. Kayla’s dad Mitchell and Sam’s dad Hunter introduce themselves and become close friends after seeing the bond between their children.
