Drew McIntyre is known for dominating opponents inside the WWE ring, but the former champion has a different kind of role in “Agent of Shadows.” McIntyre stars as Roscoe, a tech wiz, in the upcoming ReelShort microdrama.
“Agent of Shadows,” slated to premiere on ReelShort on October 23, follows the story of secret agent Adam Hawke (played by Chase Mattson) as he aims to protect his six-year-old daughter from a criminal organization while posing as her nanny. McIntyre’s character is the technology expert aiding Hawke along the way, or as “The Scottish Warrior” himself describes it, “the Q to his James Bond.”
“The story has a lot of action, a lot of romance, a lot of comedy,” Mattson told SEScoops. “Without giving too much away, there are a lot of WWE stars in this, which is funny because I knew there’s going to be WWE stars, but they were very mum on who’s going to be in it. I think it was a surprise for me, which was really cool. Drew and I definitely got to use our backgrounds and areas of expertise a lot in this. I have a stunt background, martial arts training, and Drew has WWE training as well. So we’ve definitely used a lot of that in this show.”
As mentioned, “Agent of Shadows” features a mix of established microdrama stars, such as Mattson and Marc Herrmann, and WWE names like McIntyre, Jacob Fatu, and Joe Hendry. Recent trailers revealed additional faces familiar to the WWE Universe: Booker T, Ethan Page, Nikkita Lyons, Royce Keys, Michael Hayes, Hank Walker, and Tank Ledger.
CM Punk, a fellow WWE star and budding actor himself, was not among the project’s cast. “We picked the right people,” McIntyre said. “CM Punk would have been terrible. Genuinely awful, awful actor and person.”
McIntyre and Punk famously feuded in 2024, with the former legitimately injuring the latter in that year’s Men’s Royal Rumble. A trilogy of matches between them followed, one of which placed them inside the grueling Hell in a Cell structure.
WWE Stars Impressed ReelShort Veteran Chase Mattson
In the world of WWE, fans are used to weekly episodes presented in the traditional, horizontal format. ReelShort, meanwhile, produces short-form, vertical entertainment series that cater to mobile devices.
According to Mattson, this change didn’t stop WWE stars from impressing him on the set of “Agent of Shadows.” In fact, the WWE Superstars felt right at home.
“I know they do live shows and they do WWE, but at first I was a little cautious because I’m like, can they hold their own?” Mattson recalled. “…Literally the first day shooting with Drew, I had to tell him, I was like, ‘Hey, you can have a little more fun with this. I like to improv a lot, so just be ready for that.’ He was like, ‘Okay, cool.’
“It was very fast paced shooting, but we were having so much fun,” he continued. “It didn’t feel like work. It just felt like we were just hanging out, running lines. It felt just like a very cool environment to be a part of. Drew and all the other guys, they stuck it and then just ran with it. It was really cool fun.”
McIntyre told SEScoops that he initially didn’t know what to expect when he stepped onto the ReelShort set. Coming out of it, though, he’s assured prospective viewers that it will be worth the watch.
“The way it’s turned out, the performances I saw, I’m excited for our fans to see it,” McIntyre said, noting the Hollywood Hills and LA’s Biltmore Hotel as two of the filming locations. “But I know casual fans, non-fans, new fans will enjoy what’s coming in ‘Agent of Shadows.’ Our fans will get certain Easter eggs, especially for them, because there’s a few things we can’t talk about that I know about that’ll be in there for our fans as well.”
If for no other reason, McIntyre encourages fans to watch for his serious sword-wielding.
“I carried a sword for years, and I finally shanked somebody, so go check it out for that reason, if anything,” he said. “I never got to shank anyone on WWE TV. There’s too many kids watching. I mean, maybe I’ll use my sword. Watch it.”
“Agent of Shadows” premieres October 23 on ReelShort.
