Superstar John Cena has been racking in some pretty impressive movie roles as of late, and he seems to be getting quite a few more as one of his recent social media posts suggest. Cena recently posted a promotional image of Argylle, a movie slated to begin filming at the end of the summer, specifically this August. The film seems to be a departure from the action films we’ve seen him in thus far.
Breaking out into Hollywood hasn’t always been easy for wrestlers, as Hulk Hogan very well knows, but that doesn’t mean that Hogan obviously hasn’t enjoyed an impeccable wrestling career. How’s that for an understatement?!
A rising star
Cena rose to the pinnacle of professional wrestling, and however seems to be following in the footsteps of the biggest breakout wrestling star of all time, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The Marine and 12 Rounds were straight-up action films that delivered what they promised to the audience members that sought out those particular films. He followed these up with a few movies that unfortunately performed less at the box office financially, but the direction that John Cena was capable of taking, i.e., films with more of a dramatic direction, showing a softer side to the larger than life hero, was becoming quite clear.
This was seen in Legendary, where he played an alcoholic older brother of a wannabe amateur wrestler who seeks Cena’s character out in hopes of reuniting his broken-up family. Despite its lackluster performance, the message that John Cena could act was certainly delivered loud and clear to some. This wasn’t embraced by one and all, however.
It would take quite a few years for John Cena to get back into acting in full gear, but after a few other smaller performances, specifically his role in Trainwreck, which showcased his ability to fly off the cuff, so to speak (especially in the DVD extras and outtakes, where his comedic talent is on display in full force), it was clear as to what he could accomplish.
Although we’re sure he isn’t interested in being the next Jerry Seinfeld, although he could probably pull it off, his re-emergence in Hollywood was a success and he slowly pulled away from wrestling, leaving some room for the younger members of the roster to move up the proverbial ladder.
A chance to play pivotal characters
With the opening of Fast 9, we’d say that Cena had a large part in the successful opening they celebrated, as a void was certainly felt by the absence of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham in the promotional advertisements. We’d say that Cena more than made up for it and only added to the buzz the film had already garnered on its own historic and legendary merits in Tinsel Town.
He is also in the second installment of The Suicide Squad and is also starring in a spin-off series playing the same character, The Peacemaker. Audiences are also awaiting the release of Project X, where he stars alongside none other than action legend, Jackie Chan. Cena actually learned Mandarin for the role, as well as to help promote WWE overseas, and he lived in the country for months.
2021 will see him in Vacation Friends, another comedy film, and now the announcement of this film shows that Mr. Cena is well on his way to climbing to the summit of another ladder…one that few have risen to the top of. The likes of Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Johnson are only a mere few to ever have reached it.
Is there a spot at the top of that summit for Cena? Time will certainly tell, but this writer seems to think that it is definitely promising.
Which brings us to John’s Tweet and the caliber of film he will be a part of.
#ARGYLLE 2022 pic.twitter.com/rttMXdEkjI
— John Cena (@JohnCena) July 9, 2021
A different artistic direction
Argylle is still in the pre-production stage, but the film coincides with SummerSlam, as the film should begin production in August. Many are wondering if the plans Cena had announced to return to the ring will now be foiled, but only time will tell. It all depends, of course on what his filming schedule will be once filming begins, but according to reports there shouldn’t be a problem for him to fulfill both obligations.
The film will be directed by Matthew Vaughn, director of Kick-Ass, and producer of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Co-stars include: Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson and Catherine O’Hara.
There’s always room for wrestling
So…to answer the question that is still on everyone’s mind: Will he still have time for wrestling? The answer is of course still up in the air. But if we can compare, as I already have done in this piece, John to Dwayne, then I ask the pivotal and probably sacrilegious question: Does it really matter?
Dwayne stayed away for seven years as he waited for his film career to properly be established before returning to face John himself. John deserves to allow his own film career to flourish, as Dwayne did. But, if he can manage to return, I definitely will not complain, because I’d love to see him back, in all his larger than life, heroic glory.
