Producers confirm John Cena will play Duke Nukem

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

I remember being a kid and playing DOOM and DUKE NUKEM like they were going out of style. I’m not into video games (like, at all) but these two shoot ’em ups were a blast for me at 12 years old or whatever age I was. All I know is the space bar let you toss money at strippers. That’s all I needed to know.

Anyhow, there is evidently a DUKE NUKEM movie in the works from Platinum Dunes (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, FRIDAY THE 13TH, and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remakes) and recently CinemaBlend had the chance to ask producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller about the current status of the video adaptation.

Andrew Form and Brad Fuller:

We are working on Duke Nukem right now. It’s going to be about tone. That’s about tone. How do you nail that tone in the way that Deadpool nailed the tone? I think we have to do that and if we don’t get the tone right then we’re not going to make the movie.

Andrew Form:

You know that having a misogynistic guy in today’s world, how do you make that fun and lovable and at the same time he’s got to be an incredible badass, so those are the things that we’re struggling with and we’re going to try and come out with what I hope is a really fun ride. That’s the goal, is for it to be a really fun ride.

Form on John Cena as Duke Nukem:

Yeah, that’s what we’re working with now. He is. Yes. We don’t have a script yet, so that is confirmed at this point but if he reads the script and he doesn’t like the script I’m sure there are ways that he could pull out, but right now he’s our guy.

What do you think of John Cena playing DUKE NUKEM in this big-screen adaptation? Make sure to hit us up and let us know in the comments below or on social media!

Video Game Rundown:

Duke Nukem first appeared in the 1991 eponymous video game, developed by Apogee Software, as a muscular cigar-chomping man who always wears Ray-Bans and sports a flat-top haircut as he fights aliens to save planet Earth by using enormous physical strength and his expertise in firearms. 

We’ll let you know once we hear more on the upcoming DUKE NUKEM movie but until then you can check out some of the most memorable Duke Nukem moments ever in the video below. Enjoy!