Spy Kids Reboot Adds Another Shazam! Star to Cast
The beloved family film Spy Kids is getting rebooted by Netflix more than 20 years after the original hit theaters. The new version will see the return of original director Robert Rodriguez and feature Shazam! star Zachary Levi and Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez as the movie's lead parents. Casting news for the project has been pouring in, and the latest announcement from Deadline includes DJ Cotrona. Not only is Cotrona reuniting with Robert Rodriguez after working on From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, but this will also mark the actor's reunion with Levi after playing adult Pedro in Shazam! and in the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
In addition to Levi and Gina Rodriguez, Cotrona will be joining No Time To Die's Billy Magnussen as well as the new Spy Kids, Everly Carganilla (The Afterparty) and newcomer Connor Esterson. Currently, Cotrona's role in the new Spy Kids is unknown. You can read Deadline's description of the reboot here: "This latest Spy Kids chapter is set after the children of the world's greatest secret agents unwittingly help a powerful game developer unleash a computer virus that gives him control of all technology, leading them to become spies themselves to save their parents and the world." According to a previous report from Variety, there's no word on when the reboot will be coming to the streaming service.
"My most rabid fanbase all these years, by far, has been my kid films. My Spy Kids audience," Robert Rodriguez previously shared at Cinema-Con. "These kids watch those movies over and over because they're action films made for children and families, in particular at a time when they need empowerment. Netflix came to me [for We Can Be Heroes] because the Spy Kids movies had done just so well on their service. They said 'Could you make a series of films that do that?' And I said, 'I'd love to!'"
As for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Levi is returning to play the titular role. All of the young actors will also be returning for the film with the exception of Michelle Borth, the former adult Mary, who is being replaced by Grace Fulton in the sequel. The returning actors will include Asher Angel (Billy Batson), Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy), Ian Chen (Eugene), Jovan Armand (Pedro), Faithe Herman (Darla), and Fulton (Mary). In addition to Cotrona, the returning adult-sized Shazamily will include actors Adam Brody, Ross Butler, and Meagan Good. Djimon Hounsou is also back as the Wizard. New additions to the cast include Helen Mirren as the villain Hespera, a daughter of Atlas, as well as Lucy Liu as Hespera's sister, Kalypso. West Side Story's Rachel Zegler will also appear in the film.
Stay tuned for more updates about the Spy Kids reboot. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now scheduled to hit theaters on December 16th.