Although it's subject to debate, many gaming fans would likely rank the titular protagonist of Duke Nukem as one of the best action video game characters ever thanks to his bawdy tongue-in-cheek dialogue and testosterone-soaked parody of a personality. Now, it looks as if the gaming icon might make the leap to the silver screen sometime soon, as a recent report has indicated that WWE wrestler and actor John Cena is currently in talks to star as the character in a forthcoming movie inspired by the video game series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cena is in negotiations to star in a Duke Nukem film, following Paramount Pictures' acquisition of the rights to the franchise with Michael Bay’s production company Platinum Dunes set to produce the project. For those unaware, Platinum Dunes is primarily known for putting out such horror films as The Purge and Ouija, as well as remakes of classic slasher flicks like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
As of now, it looks as if the Duke Nukem movie is in the extremely early stages of development, with the project currently lacking a director and a script. Nevertheless, the search for a writer is apparently going to begin soon so as to develop the story around Cena's starring role.
Prior to its production at Paramount Pictures, the Duke Nukem movie was previously primed to be made by Dimension Films. However, the rights lapsed and Paramount snatched them up from the game's development company, Gearbox Software.
All things considered, it's too early to tell whether or not the Duke Nukem movie will actually turn out to be a successful adaptation of the source material, but with Cena potentially being attached to the project, it at least has a shot at generating sizeable returns at the box office. After all, the wrestler-turned-actor's range and appeal is quite broad, as he has the ability to anchor action movies (12 Rounds), take on dramatic roles (Legendary), and dish out comedic chops as well (Trainwreck).
The Duke Nukem movie has yet to be officially announced.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Image Source: Alexander Vaughn via Wikimedia (Creative Commons license)