Peacock's movie The Independent will feature John Cena as a presidential hopeful giving stump speeches in a tense political climate. Cena's character is seeking to become the first candidate elected without the backing of a major political party, while investigative reporters pursue a career-making story about the race. The Independent will be available to stream on November 2.
The Independent's plot is thick with political storylines and reflections of real world circumstance. In the story, the voters are faced with the choice of electing the first female president, played by Ann Dowd, or Cena's political outsider. Actor Brian Cox is again in character as a grizzly, abrasive executive, echoing his role as Logan Roy on Succession; for The Independent, Cox's character is Pulitzer Prize-winning editor and boss to an aspiring reporter played by Jodie Turner-Smith. The project is directed by Amy Rice, known best for the award-winning documentary By the People: The Election of Barack Obama.
The first-look images show Cena delivering what appears to be an applause line with the phrase "Country Over Party" written across the podium against the backdrop of a huge American flag. The character is a far cry from Cena's work as the DC superhero Peacemaker, and tentatively looks like Cena's most dramatic role yet as it doesn't seem to rely on Cena's build or stunt ability. A short clip was also released by Peacock, and it shows Cox's character berating Turner-Smith for wrongfully obtaining ing evidence for a story that could spoil the election for one of the candidates. Watch the first look clip and see images of The Independent above.
John Cena Running For President Mirrors Dwayne Johnson's Show
Cena's fellow former WWE wrestler Dwayne Johnson is also aiming to be the leader of the free world on-screen. Young Rock, a sitcom based on Johnson's life, bounces around from periods of Johnson's life, from troubled youth to his football career at Miami. A third storyline, staged in 2032, sees Johnson playing himself as a presidential candidate. Johnson has professed legitimate political aspirations (though he's since taken himself out of the running for president), and the show is, in some ways, a campaign ment dressed as a television show.
There are not many levels of distortion between the lived history of recent presidential elections and The Independent's premise. In 2016, Hillary Clinton was the first female presidential candidate nominated by a major party, and she ran against Donald Trump, who did have the backing of the Republican Party but retained his outsider status. Meanwhile, the first look images of Cena at the podium evoke the thought of several celebrity candidates currently running for office, namely Senatorial candidate Mehmet Oz, who guest-hosted Jeopardy! and had a 13-year run hosting a telemedicine show. The Independent will strike a nerve with viewers who have a pained recollection of recent political history.