If you're a fan of World Wrestling Entertainment, you know that WWE is more than just a wrestling company. They consider themselves to be a company that has a wide reach in all genres of entertainment. One of their areas of focus is the WWE Films division. On Tuesday, WWE sent out a press release regarding two films that will star WWE performers. Here's the first one.
WWE Studios and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment today announced the next two films that will begin production as part of their continued collaboration. This March, cameras will start rolling on "Jingle All the Way 2," the sequel to the 1996 hit comedy "Jingle All the Way." Starring Larry the Cable Guy ("Tooth Fairy 2," "Cars") and featuring WWE Superstar Santino Marella, the film is directed by Alex Zamm ("Tooth Fairy 2," "Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts") and will release this 2014 holiday season.
Jingle All the Way 2? Yes, you read that right. While I don't think Jingle All the Way back in 1996 was a really bad Christmas movie, I didn't think it warranted a sequel either. Not only that, but they waited 18 years to put out a sequel. Larry the Cable Guy isn't really known for being in good movies. However, he must be doing something right to keep getting film work. It's encouraging to see Santino in a movie role. He's one of the funniest WWE performers ever. I always felt like he was a guy that should be in one of their films, so I'm happy that he's getting this opportunity. Hopefully it leads to more roles for him too. The second movie that WWE will be making with 20th Centry Fox is the fourth Marine movie.
Also announced is the fourth installment of "The Marine" franchise, the eighth collaboration between WWE Studios and 20th Century Fox including the theatrical releases of "The Marine" and "12 Rounds." Shooting this April, "The Marine 4" will star WWE Superstar The Miz, who will be the first WWE Superstar to reprise his role in "The Marine" franchise, and will also feature Summer Rae, the first WWE Diva to be featured in a WWE Studios production.
The Miz starred in the last Marine movie. The first one starred John Cena while the second one had Ted Dibiase Jr. in the lead role. The Miz obviously impressed people enough to get another crack at it. As for Summer Rae, it seems like a lot of things are going her way of late. Not only is she a part of season two of Total Divas, but she also landed this Marine 4 movie role that makes her the first WWE diva in a movie that they have produced. Don't be surprised if all of this off screen success leads to a bigger role for her on WWE TV and a potential run with the Divas Title later this year. Management seems to be high on Summer Rae. Her future is very bright. A lot of people question why WWE even has a films division. It's likely because they make money. If it was losing money every time they wouldn't be doing it anymore. It's as simple as that, really.