WWE superstar Cody Rhodes has suffered a blow to his acting career, with the wrestling legend gearing up to make his film debut alongside Pamela Anderson in the upcoming Naked Gun reboot.
The WWE Universal Champion, 38, will make a cameo according to insiders, who have revealed he may have been hypnotized in a nod to the original 1988 comedy.
The new movie – who will also play the leading role Liam Neeson71 – is based on the popular Naked Gun film franchise starring the late, great Leslie Nielsen.
“Cody might have a huge beef with The Rock [Dwayne Johnson] currently in the WWE ring, but it looks like the battle will spread to Hollywood as he is set to star in the new Naked Gun movie,” an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively.
WWE superstar Cody Rhodes will make his film debut in the upcoming Naked Gun reboot
The WWE Universal Champion, 38, has landed a cameo in the new film alongside Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson, according to insiders
“And to make things easier for himself, maybe he’ll play himself in the movie.”
The source continues, “Cody has gained experience in front of a camera in addition to the WWE by working on Arrow and a few other shows.
“But this is going to be a huge movie and Cody is super excited to film his role and make it into something that is both fun for him and funny for everyone who sees it.”
Cody has previously appeared on TV, as Kurt Smoller on Warehouse 13 and as Derek Sampson on Arrow.
Of his new role, the insider said, “It may be a cameo, but his role is important and lends itself to the full story of the film.”
Cody could be one of the characters who will be hypnotized in a nod to the original film, in which businessman Vincent Ludwig (played by Ricardo Montalbán) used hypnosis to find an unwitting murderer for Queen Elizabeth II.
Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Akiva Schaffer, the trio behind the live-action film Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, wrote the script with contributions from Seth MacFarlane, Mark Hentemann and Alec Sulkin. Akiva will direct.
So far, little is known about the plot, and fans will have to remain patient to see how far filmmakers can go in poking fun at Liam’s own action man image as he takes over Leslie’s role as the bumbling detective.
The film is based on the popular Naked Gun film franchise starring the late, great Leslie Nielsen – depicted with costar Priscilla Presley in the original 1988 film.
The Naked Gun is widely regarded as one of the best comedy films of all time
The late star, who died in November 2010 at the age of 84, was first introduced as Franklin “Frank” Drebin in the ABC spoof comedy television series Police Squad! in 1982.
Although the show was canceled after just six episodes, it was followed six years later by the hugely successful film series, with Leslie returning as Frank alongside Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy and OJ Simpson in supporting roles in three films.
News of Cody’s casting in the reboot comes weeks after he dethroned Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 to cement his status as a WWE star.
Cody, the son of the late Dusty Rhodes, one of the most talented American wrestlers of all time who never held a WWE World Championship, made his WWE debut in 2006.
He stayed with the company for ten years before leaving in frustration over its reputation and creative direction.
The exciting career move comes just weeks after Cody dethroned Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 to cement his status as a WWE star
Cody has delighted wrestling fans as he clashed with the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
In 2019, he helped found rival All Elite Wrestling alongside Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Tony Khan and others.
He then returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022, defeating Seth Rollins.
On April 1, Cody confirmed reports that he has signed a new deal with WWE ahead of WrestleMania XL.
The new deal will see the wrestler’s in-ring career continue beyond his 40th birthday in June next year.
When asked why he postponed his previously stated plans to retire at age 40, Cody explained to 8 News Now that reaching his prime, nearly two decades into his career, caused him to reconsider.