Kevin Spacey is set to take part in a rich and enduring Hollywood tradition: the body-swap comedy.
In Nine Lives, directed by Men In Black’s Barry Sonnenfeld, he’ll play a businessman who, after being involved in a non-specific accident, ends up trapped in the body of a cat. Other details are scarce, but Sonnenfeld is calling it a “funny, emotional, commercial comedy”. No word yet on whether the cat ends up walking around in Spacey’s body, but given the actor’s masterful aloofness, it could be an ideal role.
It’s another of Spacey’s occasional stabs at comedy, following his recent turn as a psychopathic executive in the Horrible Bosses movies. The two-time Oscar winner will next be seen in the drama Elvis and Nixon, playing the US president alongside Michael Shannon as the King, in a film about the pair’s famous 1970 meeting.
He’s also returning to the London stage for his swansong at the Old Vic theatre, where he has been creative director since 2003. He’ll perform one-man play Clarence Darrow, which ran for six weeks last year, and was acclaimed in the Guardian for “a mighty performance”.
His role as scheming politician Frank Underwood in House of Cards also continues, with the third season now airing on Netflix. He was awarded best actor in a TV drama at the 2015 Golden Globes for his performance.
