John Cena to Replace Sylvester Stallone in Jackie Chan’s Action-Thriller ‘Project X’

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – John Cena has joined Jackie Chan in the independent action-thriller “Project X,” set at a Chinese-run oil refinery in the Middle East.

Cena is replacing Sylvester Stallone in the movie, which had been developed as “Ex-Baghdad.” Scott Waugh is directing from a script by Arash Amel.

Chan will portray a Chinese private security contractor who is tasked with extracting oil workers from a refinery that’s been attacked. He teams up with a former U.S. Marine (Cena), when he learns that the attackers’ real plan is to steal the oil. Chan will also produce “” along with Joe Tam, Esmond Ren, and Hans Canosa.

Cena was last seen in “Blockers” and will star in “Bumblebee” and Universal’s “The Janson Directive.” Cena made his name as a WWE star before starting another career as a movie actor more than a decade ago with “The Marine” in 2006. His credits include “12 Rounds,” “Legendary,” “The Reunion,” “Trainwreck,” “Sisters,” “Daddy’s Home,” and “Daddy’s Home 2,” along with voicing the lead character in the animated comedy “Ferdinand.”

Hong Kong-based Chan has been acting since the late 1960s and has credits on more than 150 films. He was last seen on STX’s Chinese co-production “The Foreigner.”

Cena is repped by ICM Partners. Chan is repped by CAA and Bloom Hergott.