Yes, it's the kind of casting news that allows me to make tired old pop culture references such as the line made famous by
Jeremy Piven's character in show-I've-never-seen 'Entourage'. In amongst the inevitable news that the title of
Batman 3 is disappointing fans and
James Cameron is booking dates to make bajillions of dollars with - also inevitable -
'Avatar' sequels comes the not totally surprising announcement over at
The Playlist that
Spy Kids 4 is in production and has cast the ever dependable Jeremy Piven to its fold. Piven is playing the film's villain, known as The Timekeeper (coincidentally, also the name of Cillian Murphy's villainous character in
the forthcoming Andrew Niccol movie), which alongside the title
Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World suggests that the next installment of the franchise will have something to do with either (a) time travel or (b) the ability to freeze time (a la the fantastic children's TV show
Bernard's Watch and the awful Johnathan Frakes movie
Clockstoppers). Piven is best known - outside of Entourage - for his work alongside real-life buddy John Cusack in films like
Grosse Point Blank ("TEN YEARS, MAN!") and
Runaway Jury, but has also turned up in Hollywood fare such as
The Kingdom, Smokin' Aces and
Rush Hour 2.
Helmsman of all three original 'Spy Kids',
Robert Rodriguez, is returning as writer/director on the family adventure that sees
Jessica Alba as a retired spy whose step kids, Rebecca (
Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (
Mason Cook) are recruited by the re-booted Spy Kids division, prompting return performances from
Antonio Banderas, original Spy Kids
Daryl Sabara and
Alexa Vega and their gadget-supplying uncle played by
Danny Trejo. The first 'Spy Kids' film was a surprisingly entertaining romp made on a reasonably low budget by Rodriguez, and its sequels rapidly diminished in quality. Rodriguez seems to have a habit of flip-flopping between adult film then kids film, and has his CV scarred by the likes of
Sharkboy and Lavagirl and
Shorts. He'll be getting Spy Kids 4 into the cinemas on August 19th 2011, and will hopefully have begun work on the long-gestating
Sin City 2 by then...