“Chuck” star Zachary Levi is making his return to NBC with a starring role in the network’s upcoming event series reboot “Heroes Reborn,” and the actor only had one requirement before signing on.
“My only prerequisite was that I didn’t want to play Chuck again,” Levi said. “I really wanted to play something that was darker, and grittier, and edgier, and more fucked up, really. I just wanted somebody that had some problems.”
The actor, who starred for five seasons as the titular nerd-turned-spy in NBC’s 2007 series, takes a darker turn in the network’s “Heroes” reboot. Along with his wife Joanne, played by Judith Shekoni, Levi’s character Luke is out to avenge the death of his child by hunting those with powers.
“Losing our son affected us both in deep and powerful ways, but also in different ways,” said Levi. “I think he’s found that this is the best way for him to show her love … The couple that kills together stays together.”
“I think losing a child has made her cross a line, and I think when a human being crosses a line where they don’t care whether they live or die, that makes them able to do things that other people wouldn’t do,” said Shekoni.
Though it exists in the same world as the 2006 original, the 13-episode limited series is billed as a standalone story with a new cast of characters. Jack Coleman’s Noah Bennet, a.k.a. H.R.G.,is the only character from the original series who will appear in every episode.
Among the other newcomes joining Levi and Shekoni’s husband and wife duo are Ryan Guzman‘s Carlos, army veteran at a crossroads, Robby Kay’s Tommy, who can make people disappear, and Kiki Sukezane’s Miko, who’s on a search for her mysterious father and whose character series creator Tim Kring called “the most unique character we’ve ever had” at the show’s TCA panel last month.
“Heroes Reborn” premieres Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
See “Heroes Reborn” star Ryan Guzman’s interview, exclusive photos in TheWrap’s Fall TV Issue:
