John Cena to Star in Netflix Action-Comedy Directed by Jason Bateman

WWE Superstar John Cena had a breakthrough year on the big screen in 2018. After proving his chops [...]

By Charlie Ridgely

WWE Superstar John Cena had a breakthrough year on the big screen in 2018. After proving his chops in small roles over the past few years, the wrestler-turned-actor turned in two great performances over the last 12 months, in two roles that couldn't be more different. Following his hilarious khaki-dad in Blockers, and the stone-faced villain in Bumblebee, Cena is ready to continue his hot streak into 2019 and beyond.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cena has been tapped to star in an upcoming action-thriller for Netflix, which is set to be directed by Jason Bateman. The project doesn't have a title at this time, but it does look as though Bateman will appear on screen in addition to his responsibilities behind the camera.

What's perhaps even more exciting about this news is that the film is reuniting one of the surprise comedy duos of 2018. The writer for the pic is Mark Perez, the same guy who penned the hit comedy Game Night, which starred Bateman and Rachel McAdams.

The new movie has a "Game Night vibe" according to the report, and it centers around a family that gets stuck in an old abandoned movie studio. While they're trapped inside, the sets start coming to life and the family gets roped into various movies.

Bateman is set to produce the movie as well, alongside his Aggregate Films partner Michael Costigan, Joe Roth, and Jeff Kirschenbaum. With Aggregate Films, Bateman and Costigan have a first-look deal with Netflix. Batman has been working with the streaming service for a couple of years now, serving as the director, producer, and star of the popular thriller series, Ozark.

Perez is currently getting cozy with Netflix as well. In addition to his work on this new project, the writer is also putting together the script for the streaming giant's live-action Carmen Sandiego movie, which will star the voice of Netflix's animated Carmen Sandiego, Gina Rodriguez.

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