Zachary Levi, the star of the hit TV show, Chuck, has bagged his first big movie by signing on to star in the film that people are still insisting we call Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel.
Levi, who plays the eponymous secret agent on the comedy show, will play the cousin of Jason Lee’s returning Dave Seville in the sequel, which will be directed by Betty Thomas.
There’s no word, though, on how big Levi’s part will be (stop sniggering at the back) – much depends on whether Lee is merely making a cameo, or if he’s coming back in the lead role. Either way, it didn’t hurt the first Alvin And The Chipmunks movie to hire a hot TV actor as the star; the same logic may apply to the charming Levi.
Levi isn’t the only new addition to the Alvin squeak – Christ! – sequel. Alvin, Simon and Theodore won’t be best pleased when three hot female chipmunks - the Chipettes, aka Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor – appear on the scene and start stealing their thunder. Can't say we blame them... although we sense that love may be in the air. Not that we'll get to see any chipmunk copulation. Family film, and all that.
The movie is set for release on Christmas Day in the States, with Fox 2000 hoping that it repeats the astonishing success of the original, which made $217 million in the States alone.