Freelance Movie featuring John Cena is the "do-over" For the Action Star
John Cena stars in Freelance movie as Mason Pettits, who always wanted to help people, and as an operative in the Army Special Forces, he discovered his life’s true purpose.
Mason Pettits (John Cena) always wanted to help people, and as an operative in the Army Special Forces, he discovered his life’s true purpose. But while on a mission to eliminate infamous Latin American dictator Juan Arturo Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba), Mason’s helicopter is shot down, killing half his team and forcing him to retire from the military. Reduced to working as a low-rent attorney, and miserable at the way his life turned out, Mason’s profound unhappiness is threatening his marriage.
Fate intercedes in the form of old Army buddy Sebastian Earle (Christian Slater), who now runs a burgeoning private security firm. Sebastian asks Mason to act as bodyguard for journalist Claire Wellington (Alison Brie), who has been granted an exclusive interview with none other than President Venegas. Mason reluctantly accepts the assignment, but instantly clashes with Claire, who has suffered her own professional setbacks and views the interview as her last shot at redemption.
When they land in Paldonia and meet Venegas in person, he’s far from the brutal tyrant they expected. A stylish dresser with a quirky sense of humor and an undeniable charm, Venegas is excited to introduce the visitors to his beloved country. But things quickly spiral out of control when their motorcade is attacked by heavily armed soldiers. Leaping into action, Mason uses his long-dormant combat skills to rescue Claire and Venegas from certain death. Amid the wreckage, Venegas finds evidence that the assassination attempt is part of a coup, orchestrated by a faction within his own administration.
Fleeing into the jungle, the comically mismatched trio is relentlessly pursued by a squad of mercenaries led by the cold-blooded Colonel Koehorts (Marton Csokas). As helicopters shoot at them from the air and killers hunt them on the ground, surprising truths are revealed, and new alliances are forged. With their lives on the line and the sovereignty of Paldonia hanging in the balance, it’s up to Mason to reconcile the past and work with his former enemy if they have any hope of surviving. And though the odds seem insurmountable, with Mason’s skill, Claire’s savvy, and Venegas’ outrageous confidence, together they just might pull it off.
Behind-the-scenes from FREELANCE!
Familiar faces showed up at the Freelance premier screening in Orlando.
About the Production:
John Cena was already a bona fide superstar in the world of professional sports entertainment when he portrayed the title character in his hard-hitting debut feature, The Marine, in 2006. Since then, he’s starred in a remarkable range of hit films, from outrageous comedies like Blockers, Trainwreck, and Sisters, to spectacular action movies including Fast X, The Suicide Squad, and Transformers: Bumblebee. And recently, he earned rave reviews for his comedic performance in the HBO Max series “Peacemaker.”
But Cena says he’s always wanted to do a “continuation” of the type of character he played in The Marine. “That was my first lead role, and I’ve often thought to myself, if I could play that kind of character again, how would I do it today? What things would I change?” he says. “And then I read the script for Freelance.”
Written by award-winning comedy scribe Jacob Lentz, who’s penned hundreds of nightly monologues for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the action comedy Freelance stars Cena as Mason Pettits, a former elite soldier in the Special Forces who quit the military after a botched mission. “Mason Pettits was everything I wanted in a character,” says Cena. “And I connected with his story as soon as I read the script. Although The Marine and Freelance aren’t related at all, Freelance almost felt like an extension of the journey I began in my first movie 17 years ago. It’s almost like a do-over.”
When audiences initially meet Mason, he’s a man with a broken spirit. “In the past, he had devoted his life to something he truly loved, but then it was taken away from him, and during Freelance, he goes on a journey to figure out his life,” the actor explains. “What he learns is that as long as you’re alive, there’s still a purpose waiting for you, and that message is one of the things that drew me to the movie.”
Watch the full trailer here and make sure to get your tickets to FREELANCE in theaters October 27th!