It was recently revealed that Noomi Rapace won’t be returning for Sir Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant, but we now know of at least one name likely to join Michael Fassbender in the Prometheus sequel/Alien prequel. That is Danny McBride, an actor best known for his comedic roles in the likes of Eastbound & Down, This Is the End, and Pineapple Express.

Katherine Waterston (Steve Jobs) has already been cast as the movie’s female lead.

The casting of McBride is surprising to say the least, but starring in Alien: Covenant will obviously give him the chance to show off a very different side of his acting abilities and to work with one of the world’s most respected directors. Hopefully he won’t just end up being comic relief as it will be interesting to see what he’s capable of in a more serious role.

Character details haven’t been revealed, but we do know that Alien: Covenant will start shooting in Australia in the next few months as it takes aim at an October 6th, 2017 release.

A brief synopsis for the movie was also revealed last year: “Bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the ‘synthetic’ David (Michael Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.”