Bumblebee, a bright yellow petite Volkswagen Beetle would have been another sight to behold had John Cena been cast as the affable autobot’s “spare tyre”, a role the professional wrestler-actor says he would have accepted in a heartbeat.
But director Travis Knight had something bigger planned for the actor.
Cena plays Lieutenant Jack Burns, a hardened military officer who has a grudge against the Transformers. The film is fronted by Hailee Steinfeld, who plays Charlie Wilson, a headstrong vulnerable teenager who befriends Bumblebee.
The actor said the script of the film, penned by Christina Hodson, was like an unputdownable book and he was eager to feature in the film.
“I read it and immediately it was like the joke’s on him and him (Knight and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura). I could have played Bumblebee’s spare tyre.
“I just wanted to be in the movie. And in the initial conversation with Travis we were able to converse about the passion we both had for the movies,” Cena told PTI when asked about his constant attempt to break his established image.
The WWE star, who was here to promote the film, said he wants to be a part of good projects
He said despite initial failures in the movie business, the passion for storytelling kept him going back for more.
“I just want to do good stuff. And before I was thrown into a lot of action movies ‘coz it was a good business model. It wasn’t a good business model ‘coz those movies were failures. My heart was in the live entertainment business. And then after years in live entertainment business, I asked myself, ‘Why do I keep going back?’
“It wasn’t the falls, it’s the ability to tell stories. So, I was grateful and lucky enough to get like another chance in the movies. And I gravitated towards the good stuff… I read it and felt like ‘You know what, I’m gonna do this.'”
The film also features Jorge Lendeborg Jr, John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, and Pamela Adlon.
Releasing on January 4, 2019, Bumblebee – A Paramount Pictures movie will be exclusively distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures.
