Groovy! John Cena To Play 'Duke Nukem'

It’s a bit of a surprise that it’s taken this long for a “Duke Nukem” movie to start moving alone, but it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Since the 1990s various producers and companies have been trying to figure out the path to a big screen version of the schlocky shoot ’em up character. Well, it appears they’ve found a way.

John Cena is negotiations to star in “Duke Nukem.” Appropriately enough, the garish, non-PC character will have the producing touch of Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes behind the project, that is being shepherded over at Paramount. It’s all very early days, so it could be a while yet as both a writer and director need to be found, but Cena certainly physically fits the part, and has personality down too. Moreover, it’s a nice boost for Cena, who so far has performed gamely in supporting or ensemble roles, but has yet to land a leading part to call his own. Now he has, with plenty of one-liners to work with (see below).

We’ll see if the public at large cares about a character that hasn’t been featured in a game since 2011, and whose sexist, brawny approach to action is more 1980s than 2010s. But maybe that sorta in-your-face thing will be refreshing, since we don’t really have an equivalent on the big screen at moment. Or it will come out as horribly date. Time will tell…. [THR]