Shubhabrata Dutta
WWE superstar John Cena’s decision to channel his love for entertaining his fans into movies has been fruitful for both him and us. His roles in ‘The Suicide Squad,’ ‘Hidden Strike,’ ‘The Wall,’ ‘The Independent,’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise have certainly added to his stardom and popularity. If his mere presence in a movie wasn’t enough, his performance as the titular jingoistic superhero in James Gunn’s ‘Peacemaker’ (a spin-off of ‘The Suicide Squad’), a character found in DC comics, loved by both viewers and critics alike, further catapulted him into the mainstream Hollywood action genre. The following list is proof that Cena has a lot in store for us, and if you are a fan of Cena, you can be relieved that you will see him a lot more in the future. Here are the upcoming movies and shows he will be a part of.
1. Matchbox the Movie (October 9, 2026)
Apple Original Films has got its hands on ‘Matchbox,’ a live-action feature inspired by Mattel’s iconic real-world die-cast toy vehicle line. Backed by Skydance and Mattel Films, the film will be directed by Sam Hargrave. Joining Cena as cast are Jessica Biel, Danai Gurira, Sam Richardson, Daniel Bernhardt, Corey Stoll, Teyonah Parris, Arturo Castro, and Randeep Hooda. David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper have penned the script. The story of the “Matchbox Cars” goes back to 1953, when automotive enthusiast Jack Odell built a toy that his daughter could take to school inside a matchbox. When her friends clamored for the toy, a brand was born. Today, two Matchbox cars are sold every second. The film has completed post-production and will be released on October 9, 2026. You can watch the trailer here.
2. One Attempt Remaining (TBA)
Cena will star alongside Jennifer Garner, Aimee Carrero, Kate McKinnon, Yara Shahidi, Gilles Marini, Jamal Lloyd Johnson, Nyambi Nyambi, and Alan Barinholtz in the Netflix comedy movie ‘One Attempt Remaining.’ Kay Cannon is helming the project, based on a script by Cannon, Alexa Alemanni, and Joe Boothe. The story centers on a young couple in their early 20s who embark on a whirlwind marriage Vegas style and celebrate in a drunken state at a craps table, winning a small sum of Kruise coin. Cut to today: they’re divorced and have moved on with their lives when they each receive texts from the SEC about an unclaimed $35 million in crypto. To access the amount, they need to remember their password. They have one attempt remaining and 48 hours to claim it before it expires. They decide to go back and relive that one night to figure out the password and fall back in love. Post-production is underway, and a release date is awaited.
3. The Leading Man (TBA)
Cena will star alongside Kevin Hart in the Netflix action comedy movie ‘The Leading Man,’ based on the comic book series from Jeremy Haun and B. Clay Moore. The story, adapted by Writers Jon and Erich Hoeber, follows a self-absorbed movie star (Cena) who discovers that his co-star and man-in-the-chair (Hart) is actually an agent. He is thus forced to swallow his pride and accept that action stars aren’t really action heroes, while trying to save the world. Currently in development, ‘The Leading Man’ awaits production.
4. The Janson Directive (TBA)
Based on the 2002 novel by Robert Ludlum, author of the Jason Bourne series, the movie revolves around Paul Janson (Cena), an ex-Navy SEAL who becomes a corporate security expert and consultant after getting sick of sanctioned killings and quitting the force. But when a rescue mission to save a VIP goes wrong, he becomes the target of a termination order that cannot be altered. The only way to protect himself is to look for clues that eventually bring him to a large-scale scandal.
This Universal Pictures project will show Cena diving into action in all its seriousness, and we can expect Jason Bourne-level stuff. According to the latest reports, John Hlavin and James Vanderbilt have adapted the book for the movie, which is currently in pre-production. Dwayne Johnson is producing alongside Cena, making the project their first tag-team venture outside the ring. Further updates about the director, cast, and release date are awaited.
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