John Cena said the bad reputation of the first film made him want to join The Suicide Squad.

During a set visit attended by ScreenRant and other outlets, Cena spoke about the poor reception of 2016's Suicide Squad and how it actually motivated him to sign on to the project.

"That made me want to dive in the son of a bitch extra hard. There is no more satisfying situation than to change someone's mind," Cena said. "And then you look at the people involved in trying to orchestrate that choice. Like I said, I've been on James every day. And I think he kind of likes having that chip on his shoulder. He probably won't admit it, but I think he kind of likes it and he wants to be able to change the perception of people who maybe weren't so happy with the first they saw. It makes it fun."

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"There's a lot at stake because they set a precedent, a major title that did great money, but at the same time, polarizing. And I was a very polarizing figure in WWE, so I can say the word polarizing," Cena continued. "I mean, some people like it, some people don't. It's a great challenge. There's a great risk involved, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"

Of course, the new film won't just give Cena the opportunity to prove people wrong once. His character, Peacemaker, is also getting a limited HBO Max series out of the deal, meaning the choice to come aboard the DCEU may just be the biggest career move Cena has made in the world of Hollywood.

Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Mayling NG as Mongal, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Sylvester Stallone as King Shark, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and John Cena as Peacemaker, with Steve Agee, Taika Waititi and Storm Reid. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max Aug. 6.

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Source: via ScreenRant