While some may know him for his dramatic television roles (NBC’s Law and Order, HBO’s Oz, TNT’s The Closer), moviegoers remember J.K. Simmons, among other things, for his comic portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spiderman trilogy. Simmons is currently nearing a deal for another possible trilogy, but this time he will trade superheros for cyborgs in Terminator: Genesis.

As we have previously covered, Terminator: Genesis will incorporate the time travel element of the franchise to re-visit several key plot moments from the earlier films; however, the events will be altered due to the occurences of Genesis.

If all goes well, according to The Hollywood Reporter Simmons will play a burned-out alcoholic detective who has been investigating a case involving Sarah Connor and robots since 1984 (the year the original film was released). Since Genesis is being set up as the beginning of a new trilogy there is a definite possibility of Simmons having a recurring role in the franchise.

Most recently Simmons starred opposite Miles Teller in the drama Whiplash, which was lauded by critics and audiences alike at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. In the film Simmons portrays a tough instructor to a young jazz drummer at one of the top music schools in the country. Simmons also stars in the new NBC sitcom Growing Up Fisher.

Simmons would be joining an existing cast which includes Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as Sarah Connor; Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) as resistance leader John Connor; Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher) as Kyle Reese, a resistance fighter and unwitting father of John Conner; and Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator) who will reprise his most famous role as the titular cyborg killing machine.

Terminator: Genesis will be directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) and is scheduled to hit theaters in 2015.