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.
Scanning the headline, my brain connected Zachary and Thor and it occurred to me, that Zachary Quinto would be an awesome Loki… So now you know… :)
I saw Zach Levy in one of those B movies like Road Trip, I cant remember name. The point is he wasn’t playing a nerdy Chuck character and the guy is in really good shape, they really hide his physique on Chuck. In the movie he didnt come off as nerdy at all, It totally threw me off.
He could of pulled off Fandral easily, sure had me fooled. I am very glad Chuck is returning cause Yvonne Strohvski is one spectacular looking lady!
P.S.
Yvonne should be the new Sue Storm if they ever do another F4.
This IS interesting.
Not the fact that Levi was cast as Fandral, but that he had to walk away from it due to his contract on Chuck. This news gives me the impression that Fandral wasn’t just a small part but a larger supporting one. If it were just a bit of work for a few days, a schedule probably could have been (excuse the pun) hammered out to work around Chuck.
Sometimes this sort of thing happens though. Sometimes schedules can’t be worked around. Well it might be interesting to see who the #2 choice was for Fandral. I suspect that actor, whoever he is, is going to be waking up to a phone call sometime soon.
Fandral wasn’t really that beefy he was kind of a swashbuckler. So if Johnny Depp can be a master pirate Zach can pull off Fandral.