WWE superstar Cody Rhodes has landed a smackdown for his acting career, with the wrestling legend gearing up to make his film debut alongside Pamela Anderson in the upcoming Naked Gun reboot.
The WWE Universal Champion, 38, will make a cameo, according to insiders, who have revealed he may be hypnotized in a nod to the original 1988 comedy.
The new movie – which will also star Liam Neeson, 71 – is based off the popular Naked Gun film franchise which starred the late, great Leslie Nielsen.
‘Cody may be having a huge feud with The Rock [Dwayne Johnson] in the WWE ring right now but it looks like the battle will extend to Hollywood as he is going to star in the new Naked Gun film,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively.
‘And to make things a little easier for himself, he might actually end up playing himself in the film.’
The source continued: ‘Cody has had experience being in front of a camera besides the WWE by working on Arrow and a few other shows.
‘But this will be a huge movie and Cody is super excited to film his part and make it something that’s both fun for him and funny for everyone that sees it.’
Cody has previously appeared on TV, as Kurt Smoller in Warehouse 13 and as Derek Sampson in Arrow.
Addressing his new role, the insider added: ‘It may be a cameo but his role is important and lends itself to the full story of the film.’
Cody could be among a number of characters who will be hypnotized in a nod to the original film, which saw businessman Vincent Ludwig – played by Ricardo Montalbán – use hypnosis to find an unknowing assassin for Queen Elizabeth II.
Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Akiva Schaffer, the trio behind the live-action film Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, penned the script with contributions from Seth MacFarlane, Mark Hentemann and Alec Sulkin. Akiva will direct.
So far, little is known about the plot, and fans will have to remain patient to see how far filmmakers could go in lampooning Liam’s own action man image as he takes over from Leslie as the bumbling detective.
The late star, who died in November 2010, aged 84, was first introduced as Franklin ‘Frank’ Drebin on the ABC crime spoof-comedy television series Police Squad! in 1982.
Although the show was canceled after just six episodes, it was followed six years later by the wildly successful film series, with Leslie back as Frank alongside Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy and OJ Simpson in supporting roles across three films.
News of Cody’s casting in the reboot comes weeks after he dethroned Roman Reigns during WrestleMania 40 to cement his status as a WWE star.
Cody, the son of the late Dusty Rhodes who was one of the most accomplished American wrestlers of all-time to never hold a WWE world championship, made his WWE debut in 2006.
He stayed with the company for a decade, before leaving frustrated with his standing and creative direction.
In 2019 he helped to found rival All Elite Wrestling alongside Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Tony Khan and others.
He then returned to WWE in April 2022 at WrestleMania 38, defeating Seth Rollins.
On April 1, Cody confirmed reports that he has signed a new deal with WWE ahead of WrestleMania XL.
The new deal will see the wrestler’s in-ring career extend beyond his 40th birthday in June next year.
Asked why he has pushed back his previously stated plans to retire at 40, Cody explained to 8 News Now that hitting his prime nearly two decades into his career led him to reconsider.
