John Cena Enters 'The Nest' with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler

On Sunday night WWE poster boy John Cena won his 15th (!!!) World Heavyweight Championship at the Money in the Bank PPV, bringing him only one away from matching Ric Flair. It's quite a feat considering he's popular enough to not really need the title to stay relevant, but we've also seen WWE's willingness to push those who have branched out to other media. Cena has certainly done that, starring in The Marine, 12 Rounds, and Legendary before taking a break from acting to focus on wrestling. Lately he's been making a return to the screen, lining up a role in Judd Apatow's comedy, Trainwreck, and now he's joining Amy Poehler and Tina Fey in The Nest.

The interesting thing is that Cena is rumored to be playing a villain, after years of WWE fans begging for his hero character to turn heel. This may be the closest they're ever going to get to that and it may be enough to lure a few Monday Night Raw viewers to check the film out. Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) is directing with Poehler and Fey as siblings who decide to throw one last bash at their childhood home after it's put up on the market.

Also starring James Brolin, Ike Barinholtz, Maya Rudolph and John Leguizamo, The Nest opens November 18th 2015. [Deadline]

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Tilda Swinton, Barkhad Abdi, John Cena, and More join Judd Apatow's 'Trainwreck'

Details on Judd Apatow's next comedy, Trainwreck, have been relatively quiet up to this point. One thing we do know for sure is that it's going to feature the oddest assemblage of talent he's ever put together, but it also makes it potentially the most interesting film he's had in awhile.

Tilda Swinton has come aboard Trainwreck, which stars comedian Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, and Brie Larson. That would be enough to put this on a lot of radars, but also in talks to join are WWE superstar John Cena, Captain Phillips' Barkhad Abdi, Mike Birbiglia (Sleepwalk with Me), Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), SNL's Vanessa Byer, and Jon Glaser (Girls). What the heck kind of story could ask for an oddball assortment such as this? All we know is that Schumer is playing a basketcase trying to get her life together.  John Cena acting opposite Tilda Swinton could be worth the price of admission alone.

Trainwreck opens July 24th 2015.

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Punch Drunk DVDs

Resident Evil: Afterlife
At this point the Resident Evil movies have virtually no connection to the popular Capcom video games other than a few names and the occasional zombie. Even though director Paul W.S. Anderson continues to parade his hot wife Milla Jojovich around in these never-ending flicks, he's not resting on his laurels. In fact the fourth entry in the franchise is arguably the best, going back to the man vs. zombie nature of the first film, and adding the revolutionary look of James Cameron's awesome Avatar 3D cameras.








The American isn't likely to have American audiences on the edge of their seats. It's a spy thriller with a contemplative, European spirit. George Clooney stars as a hitman in Italy, attempting to discover why he's targeted for death. While there to lay low and not arouse suspicion, he's talked into one last supposedly uneventful job to customize a rifle for a sexy client.








Legendary
WWE superstar John Cena takes his first stab at a family drama and...well, let's just say he scores a count out victory. Cena finds himself surrouned by the most impressive cast Vince McMahon has ever assembled for one of his films, including the always reliable Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover. The simple, sweet story involves the youngest son in an amateur wrestling family attempting to follow in the footsteps of his famous father and brother.







Twelve
Twelve debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last year and got mostly hammered out of existence, hence the extremely limited theatrical run. Not surprising consider it comes from the mind of Joel "Bat-Nipples" Schumacher and stars both Chace Crawford(Gossip Girl) and 50 Cent. I could do without both.









And Soon the Darkness
Little unknown thrillers like this always catch my eye. Especially when they feature gorgeous starlets like Amber Heard and Odette Yustman. The British film this is spawned from can mostly be forgotten, but I'm betting future Judge Dredd himself, Karl Urban, will make this version worth checking out.  The premise sounds like a combination of Taken and the instantly forgettable teen thriller, Turistas.  Two hot friends go on a leisure trip to Argentina, but when one of them disappears under mysterious circumstances, it's up to the other to team up with a shady detective to help find her.





Legacy
Nigerian born director Thomas Ikimi's follow up to 2004's Limbo is a psychological thriller starring Idris Elba(The Wire) as a black ops soldier hiding out in a hotel room after a botched mission. Eamonn Walker and Clarke Peters(also from The Wire) co-star. Fun fact about the film:  Filming wasn't completed until the morning of the premier thanks to a rushed shooting schedule.








The American

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Extreme Rumor!! John Cena to replace Christian Bale as Batman?

Before you even ask: No, I don't take this at all seriously but I'm putting it out there because...well, it's John Cena and what if it actually came true? It'd be insane. Awhile back a rumor floated around that the multi-time WWE champion and star of such high class cinema as The Marine and 12 Rounds was on a list of possible contenders to play the Man of Steel in Zack Snyder's relaunch. I didn't see that news until after the fact and just sorta left it alone thinking it would die a quiet death. 

Well, it did but rumors are a lot likezombies. They have a tendency to spring back to life when you least expect it. Now comes word that "some" are mentioning Cena's name as a possible replacement for Christian Bale when the actor walks away from the role after The Dark Knight Rises. Director Christopher Nolan has made it clear he would be stepping away as well.  Cena has gained some measure of begrudging acknowledgement of his acting skills for his performance in Legendary(which you might've missed if you sneezed or something), but this would be a HUGE step forward for him.

Now bear in mind that this story comes from The Examiner. No offense to my friends who I know work for The Examiner, but the guy who wrote the story provides no source. No proof. No nothing. It's the classic "Some say" story. I don't buy it for a second.  Just because he was mentioned for one superhero flick does not mean he's up for every other flick from the same studio.

Cena would make a pretty cool Bane, though, if they ever decided to go in that direction. Then again the last time Bane was seen in a Bat flick it didn't go so well....

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Legendary

When I first heard that Patricia Clarkson would be starring alongside WWE superstar John Cena in anything other than a public service announcement against steroid abuse, I figured it had to be a mistake. Surely they meant Kelly Clarkson, right? If the thought of the versatile indie actress sharing the screen with Cena wasn't weird enough, then came the realization that this would be a feature completely devoid of slow motion explosions and gunfire. Doesn't sound like anything appealing to the typical wrestling fan audience(of which I'm a member), but that might be exactly what's needed. Legendary is the most earnest, heartfelt film ever under the banner of WWE Studios. It's also their best, and makes an impressive case for John Cena as potential breakout star.

Cena engulfs the screen as Mike Chetley, a former amateur wrestling superstar trained from the ground up by his legendary father, Mac. When Mac is suddenly taken away by a car accident, Mike's life hits the skids. He's estranged from his spitfire of a mother, Sharon(Clarkson), and his pencil thin brother, Cal(Devon Graye). Mike's life has turned dark, working sporadic jobs and living in a rundown home that looks like it hasn't seen a broom in years. When Cal decides to follow in the footsteps of the other Chetley men and join the wrestling team, he seeks out Mike for help. Sharon isn't going to be happy seeing another one of her boys get lost in the world of competitive grappling, so the two decide to keep his training a secret.

Legendary follows in the same well worn path as other sports related dramas, with life lessons learned through strength on the field(or mat, in this case) of battle. Cal isn't simply interested in achieving success. In fact that appears to be secondary to his main goal of reuniting his family by any means necessary. Mike doesn't make it easy. So used to being a winner, he's been turned dark and brooding by his inability to handle loss of any kind. If the Chetley clan is ever to be together again, he'll have to bring Mike back to the man he used to be. Cal is assisted in his task by a wise old mentor(Danny Glover), with a mysterious link to the Chetley family.

The script by James Posey isn't going to throw any curveballs your way. It's clear where the story is going from the start, and some scenes feel like they were ripped direct from the Hallmark Channel Hall of Fame. The honesty and sincerity of the actors are the true strength.

We've seen Cena flex his muscles and flash his wide smile in a couple of regrettable films(12 Rounds and  The Marine). He'll receive the bulk of the attention for obvious reasons, but Cena isn't the centerpiece of the story. That distinction goes to Graye, and he's eventually solid after an awkward beginning. Clarkson's veteran presence is a welcome addition, elevating Cena to his most convincing performance yet. I'm not sure whether or not he's the natural acting talent of someone like Dwayne Johnson, but in his first real dramatic role there's no doubt of his potential.

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Trailer for Legendary, starring John Cena and Danny Glover

Way back in December I wrote about Legendary, the next WWE film starring multiple time Heavyweight champion John Cena. The film starred Cena as a a former convict, trying to make amends by teaching his little brother how to become an amateur wrestler. Some might say that Cena is still an amateur, but I digress....

For once it seemed like WWE was putting some backing behind the flick, bringing on two legit actors like Danny Glover and Patricia Clarkson to co-star alongside the usually awful Cena. In fact, I thought that Legendary sounded like it might be the first WWE film that has a shot at breaking out into the mainstream.

WWE Films has released the first trailer for the inspirational story, and my high expectations have been dashed a little bit. It looks a little cheap, to be honest. Cena is delivering the same stiff, monotone dialogue he always does. At least he gets to throw a guy through a window. Huh?? Danny Glover already appears to be sleepwalking through it. Clarkson is bringing it, as always. This is just the trailer, and the final product might be better than this makes it seem.  Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think. Will Legendary be WWE Films' first hit?

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Possibly the First Good WWE Film??

Making my What the Fuck??? file for the day is this story from THR that Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover have signed on to star alongside WWE Champion John Cena(???) in WWE Films next feature, Brother's Keeper. When I first read that I did a double take and checked my ears for leakage. Clarkson and Glover are legit actors. Clarkson one of the best female leads in the business. What the fuck is she doing here?

The PG rated family drama involves a teenage boy, who tries to reunite his mother(Clarkson) with his estranged older brother(Cena) by joining his high school wrestling team.

Mel Damski, who has a list of TV credits a mile long, is slated to direct.

Well, I look at this two ways: This could be the first real break out film for the WWE, which has put together an impressive list of duds so far, starting with John Cena's debut, The Marine. Depending on the way it's marketed, I can see real potential in the simple, heartwarming premise.

Or, this could be an opportunity for everyone to see just how bad of an actor Cena really is when he actually has to go toe-to-toe with a real actress like Patricia Clarkson. If Cena looks like a goon and can't measure up, it'll show everyone once and for all that these wrestling actors aren't to be taken seriously unless your name is Dwayne Johnson. Funny thing is, Cena used to complain about The Rock leaving wrestling to pursue his acting career, and now Cena gets a chance to show what he's got in something that doesn't involve explosions. I'll be curious to see the results.

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