Proving that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dave Bautista aren’t the only professional wrestlers from his generation with potential to have successful film careers, John Cena now looks to add something rather impressive to his resume. To be more specific, Variety reports that he’s currently in talks to star in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
Right now, it’s unknown which character Cena would potentially play in the upcoming blockbuster, but theories are already swirling. Considering how the Polka Dot Man and Peacemaker had previously been rumored, it could be either one of those. Conversely, the former WWE Champion may be suiting up as any number of characters to have appeared in a comic book penned by the likes of Jon Ostrander, Adam Glass or Rob Williams.
As you may have heard, Cena isn’t the only one with a question mark above his head, as recent news revealed that Idris Elba won’t be replacing Will Smith as Deadshot, but rather, will be playing a different anti-hero (or villain) altogether. On the plus side, though, Margot Robbie will be back as Harley Quinn.
Another commonality that Gunn’s effort will share with David Ayer’s from 2016 is that Jai Courtney is also set to return as Captain Boomerang, another detail backed up by Variety’s article. Given that, I’m less inclined to think this is a full-on reboot, and would instead liken it to the soft reset that Batman Forever was in 1995. Those who remember that flick will recall how it retained certain actors from the Tim Burton movies and what they accomplished, yet recast Batman himself and made a few other alterations.
The Suicide Squad opens in theaters on August 6th, 2021. As always, it’s recommended that you keep watching this space because we’ll have much, much more to discuss between now and then.