Why John Cena Is Taking Extended WWE Leave After WrestleMania 33
The WWE star's Hollywood schedule is filling up.
In news that probably has Vince McMahon cursing out some poor intern, John Cena has landed yet another starring role in an upcoming film. The 16-time WWE champion will reprise his role from the 2015 comedy Daddy's Home in the forthcoming sequel.
Cena will star alongside Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson and John Lithgow and we're told this time “figures prominently in the sequel storyline” after only appearing in a small role in the original.
This time around Ferrell and Wahlberg team up to plan the perfect Christmas for their kids when their fathers, played by Gibson and Lithgow arrive. According to Deadline, Cena, who was billed as "Cool Dad" in the first film “shifts the macho dynamics as Dusty (Wahlberg’s character) faces the challenges of being a stepfather in the face of a more ripped rival.”
Hot off the heels of his star-making appearance in Trainwreck and his acclaimed hosting of Saturday Night Live, the wrestler is getting another opportunity to show off his impressive comedic chops.
This is in addition to his rapidly filling Hollywood schedule, as he's already starring in this year's war thriller The Wall, in which he shares the screen with Golden Globes winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson as soldiers pinned down by an enemy sniper. Cena landed a starring role in the comedy The Pact, with Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz, due out in April of next year.
It's worth noting that none of these three movies are WWE productions.
What this means for his wrestling career remains to be seen, but it's obvious the star will have to spend more and more time away from the ring. Is it possible that, despite all his words through the years assuring fans of the contrary that we may be witnessing Cena in the midst of doing exactly what he promised he'd never do, and the one thing his feud with The Rock was built around: abandon the world of pro wrestling for the brighter lights and bigger paychecks of Hollywood?
Production on Daddy's Home 2 is slated to begin soon.