John Cena and Awkwafina star in the upcoming Amazon comedy “Jackpot!”, for which a first wild trailer has been released.
Winning the lottery is a great thing. All that money can be a real blessing – or a curse. Generally speaking, the lucky ones are advised not to tell too many people about their winnings and, if necessary, only tell their closest family and friends. The temptation to claim a slice of the cake can be too great for some. But what if everyone on the planet really does find out about the prize and is given the opportunity to claim it themselves – if you kill the person who hit the jackpot first? This is the truly bonkers premise of the upcoming Amazon comedy “Jackpot!“, which looks like a cross between “John Wick” and “Running Man”.
The truly original and crazy idea comes from the pen of screenwriter Rob Yescombe. Interestingly, he comes from the video game industry on the one hand and actually primarily writes stories for action and sci-fi projects on the other. He made his film debut for Netflix with “Outside the Wire”. “Jackpot!” is his first foray into comedy.
But the director responsible is all the more experienced: none other than Paul Feig directed this film. With “Bride Alert”, “Tough Girls” and “Spy: Susan Cooper Undercover”, he made an audience of millions laugh. More recently, the 61-year-old has also tried his hand at other genres such as fantasy with “The School for Good and Evil”, mystery with “Just a Small Favor” and romance with “Last Christmas”. Hard to believe: “Jackpot!” is his first comedy in eight years. And the first trailer shows that he hasn’t forgotten his craft:
Awkwafina and John Cena in the leading roles are an unexpected dream couple. Both are extremely versatile stars who are not only at home in comedies, but also in the drama genre (Awkwafina) and the action genre (John Cena).
‘Jackpot!’: John Cena must protect Awkwafina
In the near future of 2030: Katie (Nora Lum aka Awkwafina) is an unsuccessful actress trying to finally land a role in a production in the acting melting pot that is Hollywood. In the midst of these financial difficulties, she hits the “Grand Lottery” jackpot worth several billion US dollars. Actually a reason to rejoice, if it weren’t for the rather deadly rule of the game: you have to stay alive until dawn. Because everyone can claim the money pot for themselves by simply killing Katie. To increase her chances of survival, the lottery sends agent Noel Cassidy (John Cena) to assist her in the upcoming fight to the death.
In addition to John Cena and Awkwafina, the cast also includes “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” star Simu Liu, Seann William Scott, Marian Green, David Conk, Dolly De Leon, Rosanna Scotto, Murray Hill and Monique Ganderton.
“Jackpot!” will be available on Amazon from August 15, 2024.
If you want to know how John Cena performs as a substitute Jim Carrey, then stream “Ricky Stanicky” via Amazon.