Summary

  • New first-look images from Jackpot showcase comedic action sequences and behind-the-scenes moments.
  • The movie, formerly known as Grand Death Lotto, stars John Cena and reuniting Shang-Chi stars Awkwafina and Simu Liu.
  • Jackpot was directed by Spy and A Simple Favor's Paul Feig.

New images from Jackpot showcase Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stars Simu Liu and Awkwafina reteaming for an action-comedy also starring John Cena. The movie, which was formerly titled Grand Death Lotto, was directed by Paul Feig. Rob Yescombe's screenplay follows Katie (Awkwafina), who recently moved to a lightly dystopian Los Angeles where winning the lottery means anybody can claim the winnings if they kill the ticket holder before sundown. When she wins, rival jackpot protectors Noel (Cena) and Louis Lewis (Liu) fight over the chance to save Katie and earn their commission.

Entertainment Weekly has shared a set of new first-look images from Paul Feig's Jackpot. The images from the Prime Video movie largely showcase a few major comedic action sequences featuring Awkwafina and Cena, though an additional image shows Liu's slickly dressed character introducing himself. A behind-the-scenes shot of Feig also reveals a moment where Liu and Cena seem to be working together. Check out the gallery below:

Jackpot Could Provide A Huge Redemption For Almost Everyone Involved

Cena, Awkwafina & Feig Have Big Recent Misses

Awkwafina, Paul Feig, and John Cena for Grand Death Lotto

The upcoming John Cena movie so far seems to see Paul Feig returning to one of his core competencies, which is blending action and comedy. He has found critical and financial success with both of his entries in the genre, namely 2013's The Heat and 2015's Spy. However, his most recent streaming movie was the fantasy adaptation The School for Good and Evil, which earned a 37% score on Rotten Tomatoes, one of just four Rotten scores earned by movies that Feig has directed. Jackpot could provide a major reversal of fortune after that critical misstep.

The Heat has 66% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $229.9 million against a $43 million budget, while Spy has a 95% score and grossed $235.7 million against a $65 million budget.

The movie also has the opportunity to redeem a bad John Cena Rotten Tomatoes streak. So far, the star's recent streaming efforts have been similarly poorly received, with Vacation Friends (57%), Vacation Friends 2 (19%), and Ricky Stanicky (48%) all receiving Rotten scores. However, his new collaboration with Feig, who has been a close collaborator with producer and director Judd Apatow, could provide the star with the strong comic material he showcased in one of his breakthrough comedy movies, Apatow's 2015 title Trainwreck.

The unique blend of genres in Jackpot could also help Awkwafina redeem the critical and commercial failure of her 2023 action-horror-comedy Renfield. That movie, which starred Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his tortured assistant Renfield, made back less than half of its $65 million budget and earned a Rotten 58% score. While it remains to be seen how critics and audiences receive the new movie, if it performs well, it could give all three key creatives a boost in one fell swoop.

Source: EW