Shazam! and Tangled star Zachary Levi has joined a new project. On Tuesday, reports confirmed that Levi is set to star in Hotel Tehran, a new action thriller that will begin production in May of this year. The film, which is directed by Bunraku’s Guy Moshe, will star Levi as Tucker, who leads a unit of disgraced, war-torn ex-CIA operators into the heart of Tehran to take down a life-changing score. The script for Hotel Tehran is co-written by Moshe and Mark Bacci (Prisoner’s Daughter), from an original idea by Bazzel Baz (The Blacklist).
“Can’t wait to collaborate with Zac on this,” Moshe said in a statement. “He’s not only a great actor but also an insightful partner. We both share the same vision for what we hope and believe will be a special film beyond the confines of the genre.”
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“Zac and Guy are an ideal team!” producer Marina Grasic echoed. “Zac is an incredibly talented actor and we know he will deliver a knockout performance.”
“We are thrilled to announce Zac’s casting in Astral Future’s first film as a company,” producer Matthew G. Zamias added. “Guy is a rare and versatile filmmaker that I have collaborated with for many years, and this will be his most personal film to date. Our producing team has every confidence that he will execute standout action anchored in American realpolitik and the human condition.”
“We couldn’t be more excited for Guy to bring this film to life, one that is very special for Baz and myself as it is inspired by rather intriguing CIA folklore yet steeped in authenticity,” Wendy Sweetmore added.
Will Zachary Levi Return as Shazam!?
For the past year, fans have wondered if Levi will reprise his role as the superhero version of Billy Batson / Shazam! in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe. Although it has seemed as if the upcoming DCU canon will be disconnected to the events of the existing Shazam! films, Levi has made it clear that he would be willing to return to the part.
“I’m really proud of both films,” Levi told ComicBook.com in a recent interview. “I really think the second film was, in some respects, better than the first. And the first was really good. I’m really proud of both of them… I would love to be able to do more iterations of it. I would love to collaborate with Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern.”
Will Zachary Levi Star in the Live-Action Tangled?
Another role of Levi’s that fans want to see more of has been Tangled protagonist Flynn Rider, a character that has popped back up in the cultural conversation amid rumors that Disney will be remaking the film in live-action. While nothing is confirmed, Levi definitely does not seem opposed to reprising his role, especially if Florence Pugh was cast as Rapunzel.
“There was this thing, I just saw it earlier, floating around the internet that Florence Pugh potentially might play the role of Rapunzel,” Levi said during a recent convention appearance. “And if Florence plays Rapunzel… It would also be a trip because my real last name is Pugh, by the way. My name is Zachary Levi Pugh. You’d have a Pugh-Pugh (makes pew-pew noise) in Tangled? Come on!”
What do you think of the first details surrounding Zachary Levi’s new movie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
h/t: Deadline
