Joseph Gordon-Levitt leaps into action arena

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (seen below hurtling headlong down a hallway in Inception, and above backflipping the finale of Singin’ in the Rain on SNL) has nailed the landing for a pair of upcoming action films:

The actor is in final negotiations to star in “Premium Rush,” a Columbia chase thriller being directed by David Koepp. He also is in talks to topline “Looper,” a sci-fi thriller that will reteam him with “Brick” director Rian Johnson.

“Rush” sees Gordon-Levitt as a New York bike messenger who picks up an envelope at Columbia University, only to be chased throughout the city by a dirty cop desperate to get his hands on it…

“Looper” is set during a future in which time travel has been invented, with operatives sent back to the present to assassinate criminals. Gordon-Levitt will play a man sent back to kill himself. (THR)