Ragesh Dipu
Zachary Levi is in talks with New Line Cinema to star in the upcoming action-comedy ‘Spy Guys,’ reports Deadline. Jeff Tomsic is set to direct the project from a screenplay by Adam Sztykiel. Though the plot details of the movie are under tight wraps, Levi has been rumored to play the role of a super-spy who gets trapped in one of his dangerous covert operations. In the face of danger, he has to rely on the menacing skills of his college mates to untangle the mess.
Jeff Tomsic is known for his debut feature ‘Tag,’ another New Line production which features Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm, and Jeremy Renner in major roles. The movie earned mixed reviews and collected more than $78M from the international box office. Tomsic has also known as the director of the Comedy Central series ‘Idiotsitter’ episodes. Writer Adam Sztykiel’s previous credits include ‘Rampage’ and ‘Due Date.’
Superhero characters have become Levi’s forte in recent years. He played a similar character in the NBC series ‘Chuck.’ The actor appeared as the not-so-brilliant computer nerd whose brain becomes the center of the U.S. intelligence operations network in the series. Chuck seeks help from his only friend Morgan (Joshua Gomez) who is a bit more eccentric for the job.
Various speculative reports suggest that Levi’s character in ‘Spy Guys’ is in a similar vein of Jason Bourne from ‘Bourne’ film franchise and Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible’ films.
Andy Samberg was first associated with the project to play the lead role of the super-spy. But he currently serves as one of the producers of the movie along with his Lonely Island partners Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, as well as John Rickard.
On the other hand, Levi is all set to wear his ‘Shazam!’ cap again for the forthcoming sequel. Warner Bros and DC Entertainment have reportedly started working on the second outing of their teenage superhero. ‘Shazam!’ screenwriter Henry Gayden has been roped in to write the script for DC and New Line. The director and producer of the first movie, David F. Sandberg and Peter Safran are also expected to return for the sequel.
‘Shazam!’ went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year with a domestic gross of $139M and a $363M from the international box office. Shazam,’ who is the mightiest superhero of the DC Extended Universe, took nearly 80 years to make it to the big screen. Levi’s portrayal of the teen boy-turned-adult superhero earned him critical acclaim and audience praise.
Cover Image Courtesy: New Line Cinema (Shazam!)
