Spy Kids is back, baby. 12 years on from the release of the first film in 2001, the series of spy-flavored family films has been brought back by the folks at Netflix for Spy Kids: Armageddon, the fifth entry in the saga. For the first time, this one features an all-new cast, with none of the original cast-members — such as Antonio Banderas or Danny Trejo — returning. That said, creator Robert Rodriguez is once again in the director’s chair, just as he has been for all prior installments.
With the old guard out, it’s in with the new, as Rodriguez has used his considerable pull in the industry to bring together a cast containing some very familiar faces to our screens as well as a couple of upcoming young stars to portray the all-important child leads. If you’ve just checked out Spy Kids: Armageddon —which is enjoying the franchise’s best reviews in two decades — and want to know who’s who… Well, here’s who.
Gina Rodriguez (Nora Torrez)
Stepping into the shoes of Carla Gugino and Jessica Alba, Gina Rodriguez is the latest action mom in the Spy Kids franchise, playing superspy Nora Torrez. The 39-year-old actress got her breakout role in The CW’s romantic dramedy Jane the Virgin, which ran for a 100 episodes from 2014-2019, before moving on to movies such as 2019’s Miss Bala and 2021’s Awake. She was also the voice of the title character in Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego reboot and currently stars in ABC comedy Not Dead Yet.
Zachary Levi (Terrence Tango)
Zachary Levi made his name playing a secret agent in a spy comedy, in the form of Charles Bartowski in the hit NBC TV series Chuck, so it’s only fitting that he’s returning to the genre for Spy Kids: Armageddon, as father of the family, Terrence Tango. The 42-year-old is best known these days for portraying the title role in DC’s Shazam! movies and he’ll soon return to Netflix for a voice role in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, streaming this Dec. 15.
Everly Carganilla (Patty Torrez-Tango)
Everly Carganilla’s casting as Gina Rodriguez’s daughter could not be more perfect as she previously played Baby Jane in an episode of Jane the Virgin back in 2014. Carganilla has been at home on film sets throughout her entire life, then, and the 9-year-old star has also been seen in such other Netflix productions as 2021 Sandra Oh series The Chair and in that same year’s family comedy Yes Day, not to mention Apple TV Plus’s comedy The Afterparty.
Connor Esterson (Tony Torrez-Tango)
While Carganilla plays Patty Torrez-Tango, the elder child of Nora and Terrence, Connor Esterson portrays her younger brother Tony, closely mirroring the original dynamic between Alexa Vega (now PenaVega) and Daryl Sabara in the original Spy Kids. Armageddon marks the young actor’s feature film debut, although he has previously been credited in two TV series, 2020’s Attaway General and 2022’s Chad and produces a lot of content on social media and YouTube.
D.J. Cotrona (Devlin)
Zachary Levi got to reunite with one of his old Shazam! buddies on Spy Kids: Armageddon as DC co-star D.J. Cotrona is also in the cast of the Netflix reboot. Cotrona takes over the role of the OSS boss Devlin, previously played by George Clooney in the original Spy Kids trilogy. This is extremely meta casting as the 43-year-old has already replaced Clooney once before when he played his role in the From Dusk til Dawn TV series, based on the 1996 film from Armageddon‘s own Robert Rodriguez.
Billy Magnussen (Rey “The King” Kingston)
I say this with the greatest possible respect: whenever Hollywood needs an annoying and obnoxious character cast, they turn to Billy Magnussen. The 38-year-old has played the character you loved to hate in movies such as Ingrid Goes West, the Aladdin remake, and James Bond movie No Time To Die, not to mention other roles in the likes of Game Night, The Many Saints of Newark, and a ton of TV guest spots. In Armageddon, he plays the film’s villain, a crooked video game developer intent on world domination.
Joe Schilling (Heck Knight)
A professional Muay Thai Kickboxer and MMA artist, Joe Schilling has had a few film credits to his name that make use of his physicality and handiness in a fight. He previously appeared in 2016’s actioner Kickboxer: Vengeance, opposite Dave Bautista and Gina Carano, as well as an episode of The CW’s Walker (a reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger). In Armageddon, he plays henchman Heck Knight.
Solar Dena Bennett (OSS Agent)
Also credited as Solar Dena or simply Solar, Solar Dena Bennett has featured in various supporting roles in a variety of projects, such as in an episode of HBO drama The Deuce in 2019 and in 2022 Lili Reinhart romcom Look Both Ways. In Armageddon, she plays an unnamed OSS agent. Solar will next be seen in Hulu series Washington Black.
Fabiola Andújar (OSS Agent)
Like Dena Bennett, Fabiola Andújar also shows up in Spy Kids: Armageddon as an unnamed OSS agent. You may have seen the actress in some of her guest parts in such prominent TV shows as Elizabeth Olsen vehicle Love & Death, the aforementioned Walker, and her regular role in Israeli-American thriller series Hit and Run, which also streams on Netflix.