John Cena is in talks to star in an action/comedy film from Taken director Pierre Morel, according to Deadline. The movie, called Freelance, has already been allocated a $40 million budget.
According to Deadline, Freelance follows a special forces operator, who will be played by Cena, who retires from the Army and decides to start a family. After getting used to suburban living, the operator comes out of retirement to provide security for a female journalist who is on her way to interview a dictator. After a military coup occurs during the interview, the operator, the journalist, and the dictator make their escape into the jungle, where they try to survive their situation and each other.
So far, other than the title, short synopsis, and Cena's involvement, we know that filming will happen in Columbia in early 2022. We also know that Jimmy Kimmel Live! writer Jacob Lentz will be making his feature film debut with the Freelance screenplay.
Cena has been very busy in recent years with the Fast & Furious franchise and with his role as Peacemaker in both The Suicide Squad and the upcoming HBO Max Peacemaker TV series. He also recently ventured outside of his typical action-based roles to star in the comedy Vacation Friends.
The Freelance announcement seems to be a "best of both worlds" fit for Cena, seeing as how good he is at both action and comedy. As it is, even though Taken was a very serious film, it has launched a thousand memes and humorous parodies which have made it the cult classic that it is today. There is no release date currently for Freelance.