Melissa McCarthy and director Paul Feig may work on their fourth movie together in 2015, should a deal materialize for McCarthy to star in Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot (slated to begin production this summer). In the meantime, marketing has gotten underway for the star/filmmaker’s upcoming action/comedy, Spy, featuring McCarthy as Susan Cooper (the film’s original namesake): a longtime CIA analyst who finally gets her shot at working undercover in the field.
The first green band Spy trailer is here (watch it above); and, as you can see from the footage, this action/comedy is clearly an apple from the same tree as McCarthy and Feig’s The Heat is particular, albeit with secret spy/espionage tropes being played for comical effect here (rather than the buddy cop formula).
Below, you can watch Spy‘s red band trailer, which features the kind of foul-mouthed banter (along with some physical comedy and darker humor) that’s quickly become McCarthy and Feig’s calling cards as collaborators since they made Bridesmaids back in 2011. Joining in the fun are Rose Byrne and Allison Janney (McCarthy’s costars in Bridesmaids and Tammy, respectively), while Jude Law, Jason Statham, and Morena Baccarin play some of the CIA’s deadliest spies in the film.
Feig both wrote and directed Spy, whereas Bridesmaids was scripted by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (each earned an Oscar nomination for their efforts), while The Heat was penned by Parks and Recreation alum Katie Dippold (also Feig’s Ghostbusters co-writer). Most of Feig’s previous script writing experience is restricted to the small screen; including, his work on cult favorite Freaks and Geeks (which he created). That might not make a huge difference with Spy though.
Truth be told, the fact that Feig comes from a TV show directing background has shown in his films to date (read: they often don’t feel that “cinematic”). However, he does seem to be improving with every film, and Spy could be his biggest step forward yet, in terms of how he executes action sequences and comedy scenes alike. If so, that will bode all the better for him taking on a special effects-heavy supernatural horror/comedy property such as Ghostbusters.
Spy opens in U.S. theaters on May 22nd, 2015.
