Another addition is coming to the cast of the upcoming action-comedy movie Freelance. As Deadline reveals exclusively, Christian Slater is joining previously announced cast members John Cena (Peacemaker), Alison Brie (Promising Young Woman), and Juan Pablo Raba (The 33) to tell the story of a retired Army officer who decides to take on a freelance gig after getting bored with his uneventful life. The movie is currently filming in Colombia.
Even though Slater’s character in the movie hasn’t been disclosed, we have a pretty good picture of what the action-adventure may play out like, based on Brie and Cena’s roles. Cena will once again double down on his comedic skills to offer equal doses of action stunts and comedy as he plays the bored ex-special forces operator. The Freelance job he takes is as a bodyguard to a journalist (played by Brie) who has a tough task ahead of her: to interview a cruel dictator. What could go wrong?
Slater’s latest roles were as the title character in Mr. Robot, and most recently in Peacock’s Dr. Death. His last feature film role dates back to 2020, when he worked alongside director Robert Rodriguez in the Netflix family film We Can Be Heroes.
Brie is already known as a major comedy player, having starred on cult comedy series like NBC’s Community and Netflix’s GLOW. Considering her character and Cena’s enter a business relationship and end up lost in the middle of a jungle, we can expect both actors to trade a lot of banter across the story.
Raba has previously worked with Morel in Peppermint, an action movie starring Jennifer Garner. Even though the Colombian actor has done more work in Spanish-language films and series, he’s fairly known for his roles in popular American shows like Marvel’s Agents of Shield, Narcos, and Queen of the South.
Freelance is being directed by Pierre Morel. The French filmmaker made his feature film debut with 2004’s District 13, which later got remade as Brick Mansions. He rose to prominence after directing Taken, the 2008 movie that established Liam Neeson as an action star. His recent titles include The Ambush and Peppermint.
Freelance is yet to get a trailer and release date.
Check out the official synopsis below:
Freelance follows a special forces operator (Cena) who decides to retire from the Army and start a family back in the states. After several years of mortgage payments, school drop offs, backyard barbecues and trying to conform to life in suburbia, he decides to come out of retirement to take a gig providing security for a female journalist (Brie) as she interviews a cruel dictator who may or may not have ordered the attack on him and his men. When a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, the three are forced to escape into the jungle where they must survive the elements, the military and one another.