John CenaandSimu Liubriefly shared the screen together in last year’sBarbie.Now they are teaming up again, alongsideAwkwafina,for Amazon MGM Studios' heist filmJackpot.Ahead of the film’s release this summer, a first look at the project has been revealed byEntertainment Weekly. It shows off a preview of the latest film from directorPaul Feig,who is returning to form with a standout action comedy.
The film,previously calledGrand Death Lotto,stars Awkwafina as Katie, a recent transplant to Los Angeles who comes across a winning lottery ticket. However, she finds that this inadvertantly makes her an assassination target, as the ticket is part of a contest that allows people to take the lottery’s winnings if they kill whomever has the winning ticket. In order to survive, Katiejoins forces with Noel(Cena) while evading people who want to kill her - including a rival lottery contest player, Louis Lewis (Liu).
The photos released by EW show off Awkwafina’s and Cena’s characters joining together, including one photo that appears to resemble a car stunt scene. Other photos include Katie and Noel meeting Louis, as well as a number of action sequences - including one where Awkwafina is, for some reason, strapped onto Cena’s back. Other cast members in the film includeSeann William Scott, Dolly de Leon, Sam Asghari, and more. The film was directed by Feig from a screenplay byRob Yescombe. Feig also produces alongsideLaura Fischerfor his Feigco Entertainment banner, whileJoe RothandJeff Kirschenbaumproduce for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films.
‘Jackpot’ is Feig’s ‘Jackie Chan Movie’
Feig is known for directing mostly action, comedy and thriller films, or combinations of all three. This includes projects such asThe Heat, Spy,andBridesmaids,all of which starredMelissa McCarthy.However, Feig told EW thatJackpotwas “theJackie ChanmovieI always wished I could make.” Feig elaborated on this, saying:
“What I love about Jackie Chan movies is that he’s a real, everyman caught in a situation he doesn’t want to be in. He’s the master of panicked fighting versus, ‘I’m cool, and I’m going to take you on.’ It’s notBruce Lee. It’s the, ‘Get away from me, get away from me,’ type of action. I don’t like mayhem and action for action’s sake. It always has to advance the plot, be character-driven, and find the humor in people who aren’t normally in these situations getting in these situations — and how they get themselves out of it.”
Feig is alsodeveloping a sequel to his 2018 thriller dramaA Simple Favor,withAnna Kendrick, Blake Lively,andHenry Goldingall set to reprise their roles. No release window for that film has been set.Jackpotwill be released on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 15. The first-look photos can be seen above.
