One of my favourite TV shows is returning to air a little early now that the better part of the NBC lineup has all been canceled. I was reading a story about Zachary Levi which talked about Chuck’s early return and extended season (which makes me very happy) and his role in the Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeakquel.
But what caught my eye was that Levi was originally cast as one of the Warriors Three in Branagh’s Thor?
NBC originally asked for a 13-episode third season, and then ordered six more. That turned out to be a positive for Chuck but a negative for director Kenneth Branagh’s movie Thor, which starts filming in January. Levi was cast as Fandral, one of Thor’s Warriors Three in the comic book adaptation, and the actor had even been working out especially for the role, but had to walk away when they got the extra pickup. (Levi admits that producers had asked him to audition for the role of the usually beefy God of Thunder, but told them no. “I’m tall and in pretty good shape, but I’m not big and girthy like that,” he says.)
Levi always has to keep his dashing good looks and physique hidden under his Nerd Herd shirt in the show, and he does a great job playing off the insecure lord of the geeks who doesn’t think he deserves the distractingly hot superagent Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski)
But he is the last person I would have thought they would hire for a Warrior Three. Sure, Hollywood stars have been known to chub out or slim down for a role, even pack on the muscle as needed, as we will see this weekend with Taylor Lautner in Twilight. That kid like doubled in size.
Would have been interesting to see Levi on Thor, but it means we get Chuck sooner, then I can deal with the sacrifice.