Duke Nukem film adaptation

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...-nukem-1077194

"John Cena is getting ready to shoot up some aliens.

The wrestler-turned-actor is negotiations to star in Duke Nukem, a big-screen adaptation of the popular video game franchise featuring the politically incorrect action hero that is set up at Paramount.

Platinum Dunes, the company run by Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller, will produce the movie.

No director is on board at this stage. A search for a writer will begin soon to develop a script for what is intended to be a star vehicle for Cena.

The Nukem video games follow muscular adventures of its titular protagonist, who initially was a mash-up of action hero tropes. The muscular cigar-chomping figure has been fighting aliens in order to save planet Earth since 1991 when the first game was released.

The project was previously set up at Dimension Films although the rights lapsed. Paramount picked up the movie rights from Gearbox Software, the company behind the game."

With a name like that I have to see this!

I had never heard of Cena until Daddy's Home 2. He has really good screen presence I thought. Probably cant act to save himself, though. Time will tell.

I can see him pulling it off. He's already pretty familiar with the wisecracking, sarcastic, macho bit. So getting the personality right shouldn't be too difficult. Now just picture him with a blonde flattop, cigar and awesomely retro sunglasses. Not bad, right? Yeah, I think he has this in the bag.

The writing might be a different issue.

Cena’s modern sensibilities could be good steps towards rethink the character though it’ll probably end up as second rate Deadpool.

Michael Bay's company in charge?
It'll be loud no doubt... but with Bay and his guys producing, it won't be the 18 rated adult affair that the games were/are.


Word of warning, if you go see this on release... just be prepped for a cinema full of 8 year olds

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Meh, I hope not. Duke's charm is in the fact that he's such an over the top character. Vulgar, politically incorrect, etc. Cena isn't the problem, but rather the writing and how they decide to translate it all to film. We'll see.

Well, he did start off in family-friendly platformers where his motivation for becoming a one-man army was because the villain's rampage stopped him from watching Oprah. That being said, Platinum Dunes gave us stuff like the Texas Chain Saw Massacre remake so I wouldn't rule out a harsh rating just yet - the only catch is that it would presumably limit the budget and stop Duke from having the sort of grandstanding adventures he's known for. We'll see if these talks amount to anything, but Saunch is probably right about this playing like second-rate Deadpool (I'd also use Austin Powers and Last Action Hero as points of reference, too).

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/d...er-1203085614/

"A “Duke Nukem” movie is in the works with Gearbox Software teaming with “Assassin’s Creed” producer Jean-Julien Baronnet to adapt the video game into a feature film, Variety has learned exclusively.

Gearbox had been working on “Duke Nukem” with Paramount Studios and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, with John Cena rumored as a possible star earlier this year. Paramount, however, is no longer involved in the project.

Gearbox’s Sean Haran, the company’s vice president of business development, and Baronnet from Marla Studios have been meeting with writers in recent weeks to start preparing a package for a potential Duke Nukem film. They assert that the brawny Nukem — who uses catchphrases like “piece of cake,” “see you in hell” and “so help me Duke” — has solid potential as a live-action movie character.

“He’s a parody of 1980s action heroes and he’s like Deadpool in terms of being able to break the fourth wall,” Haran said. “We see a lot of humor in his confronting the values of today while trying to save the world.”

Baronnet agrees, adding, “Duke is exactly the kind of very blunt character that we need in the world today.”

Texas-based Gearbox bought the intellectual property rights to Duke Nukem a decade ago. Baronnet, who also is the producer of the “Rabbids Invasion” television series and former CEO of both EuropaCorp and Ubisoft Motion Pictures, produced 2016’s “Assassin’s Creed,” which grossed $240 million worldwide. He’s also working with Outfit7 on a “Talking Tom and Friends” feature film."



You called it. Looks like they indeed have Deadpool on the brain. Hopefully they're not afraid to go all the way, and realize that most people interested in watching this are those familiar with the character. We know what to expect and it won't shatter our precious sensibilities. But I'll wait for that trailer before making any judgments. They should just hand it over to Naishuller and call it a day.

John Cena as Duke Nukem? I might be there.

Again, I find myself skeptical about the way they're framing Duke as some kind of "blunt character the world needs today" because that just sounds like it's going to turn out like retrograde reactionary nonsense more than just a light-hearted action piss-take. Duke Nukem already has a reputation for being an absolute dinosaur of a franchise that took 14 years to release one mediocre sequel so I think you can lean into that and play up Duke's lack of relevance for laughs at his expense (and, in my experience, Cena can play roles like that just fine) rather than just settling for vacuous Are-You-Offended-Yet garbage. Even Deadpool, for all the many problematic jokes, at least knew to make Deadpool the butt of the jokes at least half the time and paid more lip service to the left than the right.

Remaking Army of Darkness are they?

I can see him pulling it off. He is now real aware of the wisecracking, wry, macho piece. So getting the identity right is just not excessively troublesome. At this time easily photo him with a blonde flattop, stogie and beautifully retro hues. Now not terrible, correct? Better suppose it, I suppose he has this clinched.

I don't think the movie would do well cause the main character's name is "Duke Nukem". Would people take it seriously with a title name like that? But I guess if they are making it a comedic parody, then it could work.