John Cena’s Duke Nukem Movie Reportedly Moving Forward

The video game movie genre is in the midst of a minor resurgence, with both Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog scoring the rare double whammy of critical and commercial success, something that these sorts of films have always struggled to attain after spending almost three decades trying to shake off the stigma that adaptations of games are somehow cursed.

Of course, just because a couple of movies have turned the tide it doesn’t mean that all of a sudden they’re a bulletproof enterprise again, but Detective Pikachu and Sonic nonetheless showed that if the material is handled correctly, then there’s an audience willing to embrace these live-action tales.

One character that’s long been rumored for the big screen treatment is Duke Nukem, although the movie has been stuck in development hell since the late 1990s. The last we heard was back in 2018 when it was announced that John Cena had signed on to play the title character in an effort to be produced by Paramount and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes. Things have been eerily quiet since then, but with Cena’s star firmly on the rise, WGTC told you just yesterday that the project was back on the table and moving forward.

Now, trusted insider Daniel Richtman looks to have confirmed our scoop, taking to social media and re-Tweeting journalist Caleb Williams, who’s also claiming that Duke Nukem is finally moving forward after two and a half years stuck in stasis. The original tweet can be found below and though it doesn’t offer up much, it seemingly backs up our intel by saying that the pic is indeed gaining momentum with Cena in the lead role.

The name Duke Nukem doesn’t hold much sway with general audiences, but he’s remained a firm cult favorite among video game fans since first appearing way back in 1991, and with a fast-rising talent like Cena in the lead, the project is looking to finally gather some speed and blast its way onto the big screen in the near future.