John Cena's New Movie Has a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes

Freelance starring John Cena and Alison Brie hit theaters today, but it's not faring well with critics.

By Jamie Jirak

John Cena is a wrestler-turned-actor with many successful movies and television shows under his belt. Fans of comic book films will know him best for playing Peacemaker in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. Earlier this year, he made an appearance in Barbie, which is currently the biggest box office earner of 2023. Cena's other appearances include Blockers, Bumblebee, F9, Fast X, and Vacation Friends. Cena's latest movie, Freelance, hit theaters today and it's not faring well with critics. The movie is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with a 0% critics score after 16 reviews. You can read some of the reviews below:

"Instead of getting into the action or the comedy, Freelance stops itself dead in its tracks to go over and over the laborious plotting of this story," Ross Bonaime (Collider) wrote.

"Even the most cherished daydream needs a bit of skill and finessing if it's to translate to the big screen, and that's where Freelance falls fatally short – yielding not an uplifting escape, but an enervating bore," Angie Han (The Hollywood Reporter) shared.

"Freelance is an eyesore of horrendous digital effects, features uninspired action, and wastes the few big names in its cast," Matt Donato (IGN) wrote.

"John Cena deserves better. And so do we," Barry Hertz (Globe and Mail) proclaimed. 

What Is Freelance About?

John Cena stars in Freelance alongside Alison Brie, Christian Slater, and Juan Pablo Raba. In the film, Cena plays a "former special forces operative hired as personal security on what turns out to be a dangerous mission amid a military coup" The movie was directed by Pierre Morel, who previously helmed Taken and Peppermint.  

"He was born for this," Morel said of Cena when speaking to PEOPLE about the movie. "He has both the physicality and he is hilariously funny." He added, that wrestlers "know how the show works and they know how to make fun of themselves."

When Is Peacemaker Season 2 Coming Out?

Before James Gunn and Peter Safran were tapped as the co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, Gunn was working with the studio as a director, writer, and producer on projects such as The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. Peacemaker was previously renewed for a second season, but Gunn explained that it would probably be a while before the next season goes into production. Now, Gunn is writing and directing the Superman film reboot, Superman: Legacy, and confirmed that the movie will be coming before the second season of Peacmaker. 

Related:

In a recent Instagram comment, Gunn confirmed to a fan that he is currently writing Peacemaker Season 2, now that the months-long writers' strike is over. As Gunn put it, he is "writing [Season 2] now."

Stay tuned for more updates about Peacemaker. Freelance is now playing in theaters. 

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