
As if playing a cartoon penguin cop wasn't enough for CM Punk, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is making further inroads into Tinsel Town, after being cast in a new Netflix rom-com, The Bodyguard.
Punk, who recently partnered up with Roman Reigns as part of the cast for Disney's Zootopia 2, will star alongside the likes of Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day, Four Weddings and a Funeral), country star Walker Hayes, Noah LaLonde (My Life With the Walter Boys) and Toby Sandeman (Running Point), in Netflix's adaptation of Katherine Center's 2022 novel.
The multiple-time World Champion will play the character Doghouse, who is described as a ”physically intimidating member of the security detail, who is known for his loyalty and humor," per Deadline's report.
Deadline also report that Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum (Aquamarine) will direct from a script written by Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith (Isn’t It Romantic, Virgin River). The film is to be produced by Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo for Little Engine Productions, alongside Jared and Genevieve Padalecki for Living in the Asterisk.
In Center's original novel, a charming action star is given protection by a no-nonsense bodyguard over the holiday season. However, sparks soon begin to fly and secrets unravel, suddenly complicating things around Christmas.
Hopefully the scriptwriters find a way to work in a scene where Doghouse has to give somebody a GTS.
The Bodyguard isn't the World Heavyweight Champion's only in-development project, either. The former AEW and ROH Champion will also star in the upcoming indie horror thriller Night Patrol, alongside Jermaine Fowler, Justin Long, and Freddie Gibbs.
The Ryan Prows-directed horror focuses on an L.A. cop who must put aside his differences after finding a task force that harbors a secret that endangers the residents of the housing projects he grew up in. Night Patrol will hit 1500 screens on January 16, 2026, having initially had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 19.
Punk's recent silver screen appearances are far from his first exposures to non-wrestling-related television, with a recurring role across four episodes of Sons of Anarchy spin-off Mayans MC and a (OK, admittedly quite wrestling-related) role in Starz wrestling drama Heels, where he played Ricky Rabies.
Despite all the positivity surrounding his film career, The Second City Saint is currently in mourning after sharing the tragic news that Larry, Punk and AJ Lee's pet dog, passed away.
The World Heavyweight Champion shared a lengthy, heartfelt post of the news alongside a series of pictures of Larry on his Instagram story. Punk wore a jacket emblazoned with the words 'Larry's Dad' on the way to the ring during his entrance into the men's WarGames match at Survivor Series over the weekend.
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