If you’re a rising action star, it’s a rule that at some point you have to do a family comedy as a hardened spy, cop or tough guy forced to look after a little kid. Arnold Schwarzenegger had his turn with “Kindergarten Cop,” Dwayne Johnson had his “Tooth Fairy,” and Jackie Chan had “The Spy Next Door.”
Now it’s Dave Bautista’s turn with “My Spy,” and though it’s an old genre trope, the first trailer for this film as released at CinemaCon is unexpectedly cute.
In the STX Entertainment family comedy directed by Peter Segal (“Get Smart,” “5o First Dates”), Bautista is a CIA agent who has to prove himself in order to save his job, only to be made by a nine-year-old named Sophie (Chloe Coleman). She cuts a deal with him to help make her tough and teach her spy stuff, like how to walk away without looking at an explosion or beat a lie detector test.
“You mean like this? J.J., I admire all of your tattoos,” she says with a straight face. “J.J., I believe you that you’ve never taken steroids.”
“My Spy” also stars Kristen Schaal and Ken Jeong and opens in theaters later this year.
Watch the first trailer above.