Judd Apatow's latest comedy Jurassic Park and The Meg — reuniting for the sixth movie in "the 23rd largest franchise in the world."
While all the actors (some of whom have been part of some pretty big real-world franchises themselves) play characters who are trapped in "the bubble" that helps them avoid exposure to Covid-19, these famous faces manage to both entertain and further the story, with some celebrities playing characters central to the plot and others simply playing themselves.
Daisy Ripley
Audiences may debate if The Bubble is one of Star Wars actress appears with a perky American accent as Kate, the fitness trainer that comes with Dieter's VR fitness app, whom he later imagines being intimate with while extremely high.
Fans of the sequel trilogy, as well as Pedro Pascal's performance in The Mandalorian, will be excited for this Star Wars-centric crossover, especially given it involves Ripley in a comedic capacity most fans haven't seen. Ridley also appears to be lampooning her own objectification, something she hasn't really been able to do in her career.
John Cena
As one of the biggest names in franchise entertainment, beginning with his tenure as a WWE superstar, having John Cena pop up as Steve the stunt coordinator for Cliff Beasts 6 is an appropriate choice. Steve tries to explain the fight choreography to the cast remotely, and it goes predictably poorly because he can't see the details of the set, leading to several actors getting injured.
Given Cena's extremely athletic background and performing many of his own stunts in no less than Peacemaker also won't be surprised at his comedic timing.
James McAvoy
James McAvoy appears as himself in The Bubble when he chases after Karen Gillan's character Carol Lacey as she tries to flee the set. Thinking her some sort of thief, the star of X-Men: First Class tackles her to the ground and demands to know the meaning of her need for speed.
Carol proceeds to make a joke about Professor Charles Xavier, the character the Scottish actor is known for throughout the X-Men franchise, to which the actor defends his career by declaring he's done many more roles than Professor X. While many fans have theorized he might return to the role as the franchise gets taken in new directions, it's worth noting that McAvoy is known for his work in great films, especially dramas.
Beck
In order to cheer up a cast that's ready to walk off the set, studio head Paula decides to give the despondent actors a little surprise — a remote concert by multiple Grammy-winning musical virtuoso Beck, performing "Ladies Night" on a huge screen projected onto the side of their luxury hotel.
The cast can't help but dance to the infectious song, and even though they've contracted the flu and have been working in unsafe conditions, they nevertheless agree to finish the movie thanks to the healing powers of Beck. Due to Beck's incredibly varied musical stylings, he's contributed compositions and songs for dozens of franchises across film and TV, from the LEGO movies to The Vampire Diaries.
John Lithgow
John Lithgow appears as Tom the studio chairman in a Zoom call from a beautiful beach in Fiji, furthering the running gag that shows every executive riding out the pandemic in some exotic locale. After sternly speaking with Paula about how to corral the cast into completing Cliff Beasts 6, Tom ends the call when he realizes another studio chairman is on his supposedly "deserted" island, overjoyed by the possibility of a game of tennis and sipping cocktails.
Not only has Lithgow appeared in franchises like Planet of the Apes and Shrek, but he's also no stranger to low-budget sci-fi movies like Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension, and he even collaborated with director Judd Apatow before on This is 40. Given that John Lithgow gives the best villainous performances, it's fun to see him ham it up as a menacing corporate stooge.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Some seriously convincing deep fake technology is used for a scene involving the cast and crew getting high together, featuring health officer Gunther morphing into none other than MCU veteran Benedict Cumberbatch. The cast tells Gunther to stop "being Benedict Cumberbatch," but he insists that he's, "Doctor Strange", though without the distinguishing gray temples.
Even though Cumberbatch isn't playing himself, his likeness is used effectively to make the scene much more bizarre and surreal. Given his next outing as the title hero in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, fans can look forward to seeing the Sorcerer Supreme be part of much weirder scenarios.
