Why is John Cena's latest film, Barbie, banned in Vietnam? Reason explored

John Cena is set to appear on the big screen in a few weeks as he takes on the role of Merman Ken in the latest Barbie movie. However, fans from Vietnam won't be able to see Cena or the new film. As it turns out, the movie includes a controversial scene some viewers might not like.

The reason why John Cena's upcoming film, Barbie, has been banned in Vietnam is due to a scene where a map of the world included the Nine-Dash Line. Some fans thought they saw the line featured in one of the recent YouTube trailers released by Warner Bros. Pictures when the titular doll (played by Margot Robbie) talked to Kate McKinnon's "Weird Barbie" and showed her a map. However, some believed it was included in a different scene from a movie that also hasn't been released yet.

China used the Nine-Dash Line to lay territorial claims to the South China Sea. This historic-rights claim was ruled as having "no legal basis" in 2016 by a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) tribunal. China, however, refuted the ruling.

This became an issue in Vietnam as one of the islands within the Nine-Dash Line were the Spratly Islands (Truong Sa), which the latter country claimed was entirely theirs.

Which other country is considering banning John Cena's Barbie due to the Nine-Dash Line?

John Cena has garnered many fans due to the diversity of his movie projects. One as one of his movies this year, Fast X, is the complete opposite to Barbie. Unfortunately, fans from the Philippines may not also witness the Greta Gerwig film.

After Vietnam banned the film, it was announced that the Philippines had began reviewing it, and multiple senators were wanting it banned in the country. However, Senator Risa Hontiveros stated that the film should still be shown but with a caution.

The 57-year-old senator said Barbie should still be released since the movie and the Nine-Dash Line are fictional. Instead, she urged cinemas to add a disclaimer that it's just a "figment of China's imagination."

How did John Cena land a role in Barbie?

Although the recent news regarding Barbie is not the most positive, the WWE legend's story of how he landed a role in the movie is a happy one. As it turns out, it was all accidental.

While on the Today Show, John Cena revealed he only landed a role in the upcoming film after bumping into Margot Robbie by accident since Barbie and Fast X were filming across each other. After the meeting, he was offered a role as Merman Ken.

Despite the controversy, many fans are eagerly waiting to see the movie. It remains to be seen what else will transpire as the film nears its release.