“Taken” director Pierre Morel is turning his lens to action-comedies with latest film “Freelance.”
Alison Brie stars as a washed up journalist who travels to Colombia for a high-profile interview with a local dictator. She hires a private security guard, played by John Cena, to protect her while abroad; yet of course, things go horribly wrong and the duo are on the run.
The official synopsis reads: An ex special forces operative stuck in a dead-end desk job (Cena) reluctantly takes on a gig to provide private security for a struggling journalist (Brie) as she interviews a ruthless — but impeccably dressed — dictator (Juan Pablo Raba). When a military coup breaks out just as she’s about to get the scoop of a lifetime, the unlikely trio must figure out how to survive the jungle, the assassins, and each other in order to make it out alive.
Alice Eve and Christian Slater also star.
“Taken” helmer Morel directs from a script by Jacob Lentz. Morel previously directed “The Gunman” and “Peppermint” starring Jennifer Garner. The filmmaker is currently in post-production on “Canary Black,” an action movie with Kate Beckinsale and Rupert Friend. TV writer Lentz makes his feature debut after working on late night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!.”
“Freelance” star Cena is deepening his action roles with Paul Feig’s “Grand Death Lotto,” “The Janson Directive” about a former Navy SEAL officer, and spy thriller “Argylle” alongside Henry Cavill.
Cena teased “Grand Death Lotto” to AP News, saying, “This one I’m really excited for because this movie does not stop. It is going to be action from the opening credits. We have a great team that mixes action and comedy. I’m also trying to do my best to, I hate the term work-life balance, but I’m trying to do my best to not fall into the trap of workaholism where I just hide in my work and I’m not a fully open, vulnerable human being to the people around me, the people that I love. I haven’t yet sacrificed my relationships for my work. I’m at a pretty good pace right now where I can hit on all cylinders.”
“Freelance” is produced by Renee Tab, Christopher Tuffin, Steve Richards, Christopher Milburn, and Danny H. Chan, with Relativity Media distributing.
“Freelance” premieres in theaters October 6. Check out the trailer below.
