WWE legend Shawn Michaels plays an abusive stepfather who’s confronted by his son in the 90 Feet from Home trailer. Michaels wrestled professionally throughout the 1990s and retired in 1998. He came out of retirement in 2002 and wrestled for another eight years until his second retirement in 2010. Even after that, Michaels returned again in 2018 and joined forces with Triple H to take on The Undertaker at Super Show-Down. Michaels officially came out of retirement the month after to team up with Triple H for a match with both The Undertaker and Kane
Now, Michaels is trying his hand at a different kind of drama with 90 Feet from Home. The film stars Adam Hampton (The Jurassic Games) as Scott Conway, a former Major League Baseball player who heads back to his Texan home to confront his abusive step-father, James Devine (Michaels). It’s the latest movie that Michaels has appeared in over the past three years or so, following his roles in similarly small productions like The Resurrection of Gavin Stone and The Marine 6: Close Quarters.
Screen Rant is exclusively premiering the 90 Feet from Home trailer ahead of the film’s release later this year. The film was directed by Brett Bentman (Apocalypse Road, The Night Before) from a script he cowrote with relative newcomer Scott Davis. Michaels and Hampton are joined in the film’s cast by Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), Laura Menzie (Wander My Friends), and Thom Hallum (Bigfoot Wars), in addition to Lois & Clark and Supergirl’s Dean Cain. You can watch the trailer below.
Michaels has issued an official statement on his casting in the film, saying “As a former WWE Superstar, it’s rare to get the opportunity to play a role with such range and depth. I’m eternally grateful they took the chance on me”. Brentman has released his own statement on Michaels’ casting and how he was perfect for his 90 Feet from Home role:
WWE alums have a mixed track record of success with movie acting overall, yet a growing number of ’90s and 2000s wrestling superstars have hit it big in Hollywood of late. Dwayne Johnson, of course, is the best example of this, but actors like Dave Bautista and John Cena have also smoothly transitioned into working on high-profile franchise movies, with roles in tentpoles like Guardians of the Galaxy, Blade Runner 2049, and Bumblebee. Michaels hasn’t gone that route yet, but who knows: he may yet carve out a comfortable niche for himself in smaller dramatic fare, starting with 90 Feet from Home.
“When we set out to find our “Jimmy Devine” it was a “comb the desert” sort of thing. No one really fit for a number of reasons. Luckily, I get to work with my best friend, who also happens to be my wife, and we were able to think outside the box and find Shawn. He was someone I grew up watching on my living room TV set as a kid in rural New Jersey… an icon, really. It’s funny how these things work, because when Shawn stepped on set, he WAS Jimmy Devine and looking back, we can’t imagine anyone else in that role.”
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Source: B22 Films
