News > WWE and Fox Pair Up

Written by David Morgan

World Wrestling Entertainment and 20th Century Fox have made a pact giving the film studio the rights to distribute films starring the WWE's pro-wrestlers. Not expecting prestige pictures on their future docket, WWE Films plans to develop "at least one theatrical release and up to four direct-to-video titles annually, with Fox receiving a distribution fee should it release the pics in theaters, on homevid or digitally."

In general, they'll be aiming for the PG-13 audience, in order to appeal to the broadest possible audience. "We had to refocus where we wanted to go," said Michael Lake, president of WWE Films. "There's a strong audience base that is ready for movies that star our guys. A lot of our audience is in the PG-13 area."

According to Variety, one of the first films out of the stable will be 12 Rounds, an action film starring Jon Cena with Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Deep Blue Sea) at the helm. Previous WWE pictures have included See No Evil, starring Kane, The Marine, starring Cena, and The Condemned, starring Stone Cold Steve Austin.