My Spy 2 Is Bringing Back Dave Bautista To Lead A Stacked Cast
After the successes of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" flicks, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," and "Knock at the Cabin," Dave Bautista has pretty much solidified himself as the greatest wrestler-turned-actor of the era. Like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena before him, Bautista was originally pigeonholed in tough guy roles because of his size before producers realized, "Hey, this guy is legitimately hilarious." Bautista has been showing off a wide range of acting talent for years now, including holding his own in the 'charismatic action star meets cute kid' formula on display in "My Spy."
The action comedy was released in 2020 to less-than-stellar reviews, but according to Variety, "My Spy" was the third most-watched film on SVOD the year of release. With Bautista's star being pushed to the stratosphere, it's no surprise Prime Video was interested in a sequel. What is a surprise, however, is how the streaming giant is seemingly going very hard for "My Spy: The Eternal City," based on its ridiculously stacked cast. As announced by Deadline, Big Dave will be returning alongside previous stars Chloe Coleman ("Avatar: The Way of Water"), Kristen Schaal ("What We Do in the Shadows"), and Ken Jeong ("The Afterparty"), but with a new ensemble cast including Anna Faris ("Mom"), Craig Robinson ("Killing It"), and Flula Borg ("Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin"). Screenwriters Erich and Jon Hoeber have returned to write the script and Peter Segal is also returning to the director's chair.
'A kiss from the comedy gods'
Director Peter Segal is over-the-moon with the new cast, telling Deadline, "I'm incredibly excited to have our team reassemble for the next chapter of our story." He added that "having Anna, Craig, and Flula join our amazing cast is like a kiss from the comedy gods," which is one hell of an understatement. Anna Faris is one of the funniest performers currently working, and both Craig Robinson and Flula Borg are notorious scene-stealers who elevate every project in which they appear. Having them all play in the cinematic sandbox with Dave Bautista, Ken Jeong, and Kristen Schaal is a dream come true.
"My Spy: The Eternal City" centers on a now-teenage Sophie (Chloe Coleman) and JJ (Bautista) as they visit Italy for her school's choir trip. Of course, international hijinks are afoot, and the two end up in the middle of a terrorist plot targeting Sophie's best friend Collin, because his dad is the chief of the CIA. Nicola Correia-Damude ("The Boys"), Noah Dalton Danby ("Titans"), and Devere Rogers ("Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.") are also set to reprise their roles, with Billy Barratt ("Invasion") and Taeho K ("Colony") also joining to play new characters.
There's no word yet on a release date, but (and I can't believe I'm saying this) "My Spy: The Eternal City" just skyrocketed up the list of my most anticipated releases.