What happens when you take a charming, hulking man like John Cena and pair him with a seemingly awkward and nerdy man like Kumail Nanjiani? Well, you get the perfect odd-couple formula for a riotous buddy cop comedy, of course. We’re never too old for that kind of shit, and now the film is on its way for our viewing pleasure.
Deadline got the scoop the currently untitled flick is being helmed by ZOMBIELAND’s Ruben Fleischer and will be written by TOUR DE PHARMACY and 7 DAYS IN HELL scribe Murray Miller. Fleischer is set to take on Sony’s VENOM as his next project, and will most likely tackle this after. No other details will be available at this time, but something tells me these two cops will not want to work together at first.
Cena started his film career with some standard action flicks like THE MARINE, but has since proven his comedy chops in movies like TRAINWRECK and PHARMACY, and has a supporting role in the upcoming DADDY’S HOME 2. Nanjiani has broken out via his supporting role in SILICON VALLEY but showcased his talent as a leading man in this year’s breakout indie hit, THE BIG SICK (which he wrote alongside his wife, Emily V. Gordon). The two seem like a good fit, and I look forward to seeing whatever comical misunderstanding leads to their eventual friendship.
Cena has plenty of charisma, and seems to be making bigger strides in his film career, much like Dwayne Johnson did when he started mixing up his portfolio – which was clearly a smart move. As for Nanjiani I’m a big SILICON VALLEY fan, and I was blown away by his work in BIG SICK, so I’m glad he’s being sought for more high-profile work. The buddy cop mines are pretty dry at this point, but maybe their chemistry will wring out some good material. There’s at least some room for Nanjiani to make fun of the size of Cena’s neck.
DADDY'S HOME 2 hits theaters November 10 and THE BIG SICK is on Blu-ray and digital now.