Alan Taylor has been making some very impressive moves casting his upcoming franchise-rebooter, Terminator: Genesis, bringing in Emilia Clarke and Jason Clarke to star as Sarah and John Connor to lead the new line-up.
Now Paramount and producing partner Skydance have announced that Matt Smith, beloved for his role as the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC’s acclaimed Dr. Who, has joined the cast of the upcoming reboot. The specifics of his role is being kept under wraps for now, but he’s being described as a new character with a strong connection to John Connor.
Deadline have also heard that the casting decision marks the final major piece for Terminator: Genesis, and that it’s a major role that will continue to grow in the second and third films.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is of course back as the eponymous machine, alongside Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, and Lee Byung-hun.
Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) directs from a script by Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry), with David Ellison producing and Megan Ellison remaining on board as an executive producer.
Interestingly, the official press release below doesn’t refer to the film as Terminator: Genesis, but rather the “upcoming “Terminator” reboot,” so though it’s widely being referred to so far as Terminator: Genesis, we could be in for a title change somewhere down the line.
Terminator: Genesis is scheduled to hit cinemas on July 1st, 2015, and is naturally set to be one of the biggest movies of next year.
HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 2, 2014) – Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions announced today that “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith will join the cast of the upcoming “TERMINATOR” reboot.
Smith will play a new character with a strong connection to John Connor, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi and Byung Hun Lee.
Alan Taylor is directing the film from a screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. David Ellison and Dana Goldberg of Skydance Productions are producing. Skydance’s Paul Schwake, Annapurna Pictures’ Megan Ellison, Kalogridis and Lussier are executive producing.
Smith is best known for playing The Doctor on the popular “Doctor Who” television series during the 2011-2103 seasons. His other television credits include “Christopher and His Kind,” “Moses Jones,” and “The Street.” He can be seen next on the big screen in “LOST RIVER,” directed by Ryan Gosling, alongside Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan and Eva Mendes.
He is represented by United Talent Agency and Michael Duff at Troika.
The “TERMINATOR” franchise launched in 1984 with Schwarzenegger as the title character and spanned three subsequent films, which have earned more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Paramount will distribute the film worldwide on July 1, 2015.
