John Cena would welcome the chance to reprise his role as John Triton in ‘The Marine’ movie franchise. The 16-time World Champion admits he regrets not giving his all for his starring role in the 2006 film.
The Marine, one of the few WWE Studios films to make it to the silver screen, told the (fictional) story of a discharged marine who goes on a one-man mission to rescue his wife from kidnappers.
To have time off for the project, Cena was written off WWE TV in late 2004 by being ‘stabbed’ in the kidney by Carlito’s then-bodyguard, Jesús.
Cena appeared on In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast and shared his regrets about his time on The Marine.
“I’ve always wanted to do another Marine because so many folks talk to me about The Marine,” said Cena. “I can’t believe it. And it was actually something I wasn’t really proud of because that’s a situation where I look back and say I didn’t give my all.
“As a young man, I wanted to be in the middle of the rock star life. I wanted to be in front of those sold-out crowds. And then I get to a quiet movie set where everything takes forever, and I just didn’t have the wisdom or the knowledge or the perception to realize how big of an opportunity it was.”
“It was actually something I wasn’t really proud of because that’s a situation where I look back and say I didn’t give my all.”
John Cena
Cena’s transition to Hollywood
While Cena isn’t proud of his work in ‘The Marine,’ the former WWE World Champion is becoming a hot commodity in Hollywood.
In 2019, Cena played ‘Jakob Toretto,’ the vengeful brother of Fast and Furious lead Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) in the ninth installment in the franchise.
Last year, Cena won over crowds as Christopher ‘Peacemaker’ Smith in DC Comics production ‘The Suicide Squad,’ a role which was reportedly meant for fellow wrestler Dave Batista.
Peacemaker has since gone on to have his own series for HBO Max.
Returning to the ring
Cena’s busy acting schedule has made him appear less for WWE, even missing the past two WrestleManias, but the former World Champion could be coming back very soon.
In April 2022, it was reported that WWE has plans for Cena to return in the build-up to this year’s Summerslam.
While no match has been confirmed, fans have speculated that a possible United States title match with Theory may happen after the pair’s recent back-and-forth on social media.
