There are three major blockbuster franchises that originated during the last quarter of the 20th century - and, thus, have strong nostalgic appeal for moviegoers who saw them as young(er) adults (or while growing up as kids) - slated to return to the big screen in 2015: Jurassic Park, Terminator, and Star Wars.

One of the films in question has cast up and coming acting talent to carry the series forward into the new century (see: Jurassic World), while the other two are bringing in old reliable names to anchor the respective property's newest installment alongside the whipper-snapper cast members (see: Terminator: Genesis and Star Wars: Episode VII).

Technically, no cast members have confirmed for Episode VII, with the exception of Carrie Fisher - who has indicated multiples times that she's one of multiple Star Wars veterans who'll appear in the film. However, in addition to having a pretty solid idea of who's playing a villain (see: Girls actor Adam Driver), we also have a shortlist of actors who're in contention for the coveted young male lead role in director J.J. Abrams' space opera/adventure.

One of those names is John Boyega, the 22-year old British actor who brokeout in Joe Cornish's acclaimed sci-fi thriller/comedy Attack the Block back in 2011. According to THR writer Borys Kit, Boyega is also being eyed to play a key role in another of the aforementioned tentpoles - namely, Terminator: Genesis, where Boyega could play the son of Miles Bennett Dyson (the latter was portrayed by Joe Morton in Terminator 2: Judgement Day).

Miles Dyson, for those whose Terminator 2 memories are foggy, was the Cyberdyne Systems employee who (in that film's timeline, anyway) was responsible for inventing the microprocessor that eventually gave rise to Skynet (inspired by the broken chip from the T-800 in the first Terminator). He was killed during the events of that movie, though he had a young son named Danny - who was present when Sarah Connor (then, Linda Hamilton) attempted to murder the elder Dyson at his home.

Joe Morton in Terminator 2
Joe Morton in 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day'

The Terminator: Genesis script is rumored to revisit certain scenes from the previous installments, through a time-travel story that setups a new standalone film trilogy (and includes an aged version of Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800). If so, then it could make sense to catch up with the Dyson clan and see what the now grown-up Danny is up to - possibly, exploring the technology that his father was developing.

Kit also mentioned on Twitter that Boyega won't be able to appear in both Episode VII and Genesis, which seems reasonable given that the pair will be in production at the same time. However, that also implies that the Danny Dyson role in the new Terminator film might be a pivotal one (e.g. one requiring a longer time commitment), rather than a throwaway nod to the franchise's original mythos. Hence, Boyega being in the running.

Either way, Boyega, in my opinion, showed leading potential in Attack the Block, so it's good to see him getting a shot at working on some big Hollywood tentpoles. Both of the roles in question could be meaty ones too, if done right (e.g. young men who must deal with newfound responsibilities, the legacies of their parents, etc.), so fingers crossed that Boyega ends up walking away with one role or the other.

Fellow Boyega fans - which movie would you prefer to see him appear in?

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Terminator: Genesis opens in U.S. theaters on July 1st, 2015.

Star Wars: Episode VII arrives in theaters on December 18th, 2015.

Source: Borys Kit