Dave Bautista will soon star in the upcoming action comedy movie My Spy, and the first trailer and official poster have been released. As the trailer shows, the movie seems to have more heart and humor than most action movies starring Bautista typically would. From Peter Segal, the director of Get Smart, the movie pairs Bautista with child actress Chloe Coleman in a story where the former teaches the latter how to become a spy. While we've seen Bautista excel in action movies before, what gives My Spy an edge is its wit and charm, both of which are put on display in the new movie trailer.
In My Spy, Dave Bautista plays JJ, a "hardened CIA operative" who is demoted following a botched operation. His next assignment is to go undercover to surveil the family of 9-year-old Sophie (Coleman), which is something JJ is not exactly thrilled about. Sophie blows his cover when she finds hidden cameras in her apartment, using her own tech savviness to trace the equipment back to JJ and his partner (Kristen Schaal). Facing consequences from the CIA should Sophie spoil his secret, JJ is completely at the young girl's mercy. To keep her quiet, JJ reluctantly agrees to help teach her how to become a spy. Like any feelgood movie, it seems that the plot suggests JJ will be learning just as much from Sophie as she is from him.
Some of the humor from My Spy comes with the meta elements of the story. Sophie doesn't just want to learn the tricks of the trade, but to become like the hero spies you see in action movies. This includes asking JJ to teach her how to walk away from an explosion behind her without looking back. Humorously, JJ obliges, and is seen in the trailer coaching Sophie on how to do the slow-motion walk away from an explosion. Instinctively, Sophie is tempted to turn around and look back, but JJ casually turns her head back to face forward. It's a move we see done by practically every action movie hero ever, but it's unusual to see it treated as a conscious decision that spies actually "train" for.
Bautista has plenty of other major roles we can see him in this year as well. He will next reprise the role of Drax in this month's Avengers: Endgame, which hits theaters on April 26. He'll then be co-starring with Kumail Nanjiani in the action comedy movie Stuber, which arrives in July. The former WWE star will also co-star with Sylvester Stallone and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson in the sequel Escape Plan: The Extractors. Chances are, we'll be seeing him popping up in other places as well.
Other members of the My Spy cast include Ken Jeong, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Nikki Hahn, and Devere Rogers. Peter Segal (Get Smart) is directing, using a screenplay from screenwriting brothers Jon and Erich Hoeber (Red). In addition to starring in the movie, Bautista will also be producing alongside Segal, Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Jonathan Meisner, and Gigi Pritzker. Larry Blanford will handle the cinematography. My Spy will be coming to theaters sometime in 2019, with an official release date yet to be revealed. You can take a look at the official poster and first trailer below, courtesy of STX Entertainment.