John Cena and Simu Liu briefly shared the screen together in last year’s Barbie. Now they are teaming up again, alongside Awkwafina, for Amazon MGM Studios‘ heist film Jackpot. Ahead of the film’s release this summer, a first look at the project has been revealed by Entertainment Weekly. It shows off a preview of the latest film from director Paul Feig, who is returning to form with a standout action comedy.

The film, previously called Grand Death Lotto, stars Awkwafina as Katie, a recent transplant to Los Angeles who comes across a winning lottery ticket. However, she finds that this inadvertantly makes her an assassination target, as the ticket is part of a contest that allows people to take the lottery’s winnings if they kill whomever has the winning ticket. In order to survive, Katie joins forces with Noel (Cena) while evading people who want to kill her – including a rival lottery contest player, Louis Lewis (Liu).

The photos released by EW show off Awkwafina‘s and Cena‘s characters joining together, including one photo that appears to resemble a car stunt scene. Other photos include Katie and Noel meeting Louis, as well as a number of action sequences – including one where Awkwafina is, for some reason, strapped onto Cena‘s back. Other cast members in the film include Seann William Scott, Dolly de Leon, Sam Asghari, and more. The film was directed by Feig from a screenplay by Rob Yescombe. Feig also produces alongside Laura Fischer for his Feigco Entertainment banner, while Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum produce for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films.

‘Jackpot’ is Feig’s ‘Jackie Chan Movie’

First look at Paul Feig’s ‘JACKPOT’, starring John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu.

The film follows a woman who accidentally wins the lottery in a word where others can legally seize the ticket (and its prize) if they kill the winner by sundown.

(Source: @EW) pic.twitter.com/W2ycMxvPX2

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 3, 2024

Feig is known for directing mostly action, comedy and thriller films, or combinations of all three. This includes projects such as The Heat, Spy, and Bridesmaids, all of which starred Melissa McCarthy. However, Feig told EW that Jackpot was “the Jackie Chan movie I always wished I could make.” Feig elaborated on this, saying:

“What I love about Jackie Chan movies is that he’s a real, everyman caught in a situation he doesn’t want to be in. He’s the master of panicked fighting versus, ‘I’m cool, and I’m going to take you on.’ It’s not Bruce Lee . It’s the, ‘Get away from me, get away from me,’ type of action. I don’t like mayhem and action for action’s sake. It always has to advance the plot, be character-driven, and find the humor in people who aren’t normally in these situations getting in these situations — and how they get themselves out of it.”

Feig is also developing a sequel to his 2018 thriller drama A Simple Favor, with Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Henry Golding all set to reprise their roles. No release window for that film has been set. Jackpot will be released on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 15. The first-look photos can be seen above.

via Collider