“China as a country is bigger and stronger now, so we really need heroes,” Chan explained. “Not only will we make a good movie, I’m going to learn so much.” For his part, Chan was excited about what kind of characters the project could provide to the Chinese film industry. “It’s going to be so special,” Cena said according to THR. Just before filming began in June 2018, director Scott Waugh and lead actors Chan and Cena talked about how excited they were for the film. While there were some ominous signs of problems ahead, these two film industries were largely still chummy and that made a production like Snafu that utilized American filmmakers and actors still seem enticing. Meanwhile, the love affair between Hollywood studios and China that had been ongoing throughout the 2010s was only just now starting to see a hint of problems stemming from tumultuous U.S./China trade relations. This casting occurred months before Bumblebee came out, let alone his more high-profile work in The Suicide Squad or F9.

Between then and now, a lot has changed, including Cena’s caliber as an actor. In June 2018, Deadline reported that Cena would be starring in the film with Chan, which would shoot in China. To understand what happened, we have to go to the beginning of Snafu, specifically when the project started to get rolling. RELATED: John Cena on ‘Vacation Friends,’ Balancing the Crazy with Heart, and Matthew Vaughn’s Spy Movie ‘Argylle’

Film jackie chan 2018