- John Ortiz and Aksel Hennie have joined the cast of the sci-fi thriller "God Particle" for Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.
Production will begin on June 10 in Los Angeles with Nigerian filmmaker Julius Onah ("The Girl Is in Trouble") directing from a screenplay by Oren Uziel and Doug Jung. Paramount has dated the film for a Feb. 24, 2017, release.
Abrams and Lindsey Weber will produce, with Tommy Harper and Bob Dorhmann executive producing.
The story centers on the efforts of scientists aboard an international space station to tap into a new energy source — the mysterious "God Particle." They inadvertently trigger catastrophic side effects.
The previously announced cast members include Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Bruhl, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris O’Dowd and Zhang Ziyi.
Abrams directed, produced and wrote "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Ortiz starred in "Steve Jobs" as Joel Pforzheimer, a journalist who interviews Jobs throughout the film. He will also appear in the upcoming "Kong: Skull Island."
Norwegian actor Hennie starred in "Headhunters" and "The Martian" as the navigator of the spaceship Ares III.
