Sons of Anarchy showrunner Kurt Sutter has signed up for a role in Lionsgate’s latest young adult franchise launcher, Chaos Walking. The sci-fi film, from director Doug Liman (who recently helmed Edge of Tomorrow and American Made), is based on a series of novels by Patrick Ness (who previously served up A Monster Calls and the Doctor Who spinoff Class).

This news comes at an interesting time for young adult movies, and for Sutter himself. Lionsgate has revealed that they’re keen to make more films in The Hunger Games and Twilight sagas, but are waiting for the relevant creators to make a move. However, the dwindling public interest in the Divergent series has seen that franchise shuffled to TV. Meanwhile, as the young adult movement has stuttered a little, so have Sutter’s projects: The Bastard Executioner was canceled after one season, and the Sons Of Anarchy offshoot Mayans MC has had its pilot recast and reshot.

It makes sense, then, that Sutter would want to step into Chaos Walking for some acting work, while his next project as a writer/showrunner gestates in development. He joins a star-studded cast that features Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Tom Holland and Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s Daisy Ridley. Chaos Walking sees a virus called ‘The Noise’ infect a whole planet, causing the population to see each other’s thoughts as a stream of unrelenting and immersive images. Per Deadline, Sutter is playing Cillian, a "tough farmer who adopted Todd [Holland] at a very young age."

Chaos Walking - Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley

It’s a grizzled stepfather role, by the sounds of it, which is a neat fit for Sutter’s edgy demeanor. Without spoiling anything for those not familiar with the film's source material, one can assume that Cillian plays a vital role in saving the world. Holland’s character, after all, goes on to find Ridley’s Viola, and the pair begins a quest to decipher The Noise and unravel its mysteries.

Although the film is starting to sound like a highly exciting prospect, it’s not fully cast as of yet. The last anyone heard, Mads Mikkelsen was circling a central villainous role. He’s yet to sign on officially for the role, which would see him playing a secretive mayor who comes up against Todd and Viola. Given that he already has Hannibal and Doctor Strange under his belt, it would appear that Mikkelsen is contemplating adding yet another villainous role to his body of work.

NEXT: Mads Mikkelsen Interested in Doctor Doom Movie

Source: Deadline

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