Everyone’s dreamed of winning the lottery – but would you kill someone to win it if you knew there would be no consequences?
In Jackpot!, it’s 2030 in Los Angeles, California, and the US is facing economic ruin. Katie Kim (Awkwafina) has arrived in town, down on her luck, but ready to chase her dreams of making it in Hollywood.
At a casting, Katie discovers she holds the winning ticket for The Grand Lottery, a once-in-a-lifetime multibillion-dollar prize, when everyone around her starts to act bizarrely – by trying to kill her.
Why? Because in The Grand Lottery there’s a catch: that if anyone finds the winning ticket-holder before sundown and kills them, they can lay claim to the fortune – with no repercussions.
Enter “amateur lottery protection agent” Noel Cassidy (John Cena). He’s tasked with making sure Katie lives long enough to claim the money. In exchange, he gets a cut of the cash.
Simu Liu plays rival protection agent Louis Lewis, owner of the largest lottery protection agency in LA. He also wants to collect the commission Katie’s paying.
Professional wrestler John, 47, who’s starred in films such as Trainwreck, The Suicide Squad and Fast X – and in TV series Peacemaker – says the stunt-heavy scenes, where his character is being attacked from all directions, were second nature to him.
“The film is indicative of my life,” he tells TV WEEK with a laugh. “It’s a bunch of comedy and action. So it was just another day at the office.”
Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians), on the other hand, had less experience, but when
it came to training, found herself in good hands.
“The opening sequence did kick off my fitness journey – I now have the MyFitnessPal app,” she jokes. “Simu and
I have been in an action movie together [2021’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings], for which I definitely didn’t train – I was hanging out at Westfield [shopping mall] when I was supposed to be.
“But on this film, it was important for me to work with the team. I really appreciated how John handles action scenes and safety, so I felt very safe.”
“You killed it too,” Simu, 35 – known for his roles in Barbie and Atlas – adds. “You looked great out there and nailed a lot of the physicality and the action.”
Will the mismatched trio make it to nightfall alive, or will the lure of the prize money see them turn on each other before anyone else has a chance?
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