Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh, one of the tributes from District 11, in ‘The Hunger Games’

Dayo Okeniyi had been considered for leading roles in both the upcoming Terminator and Star Wars films. According to Deadline, Okeniyi finally settled on Terminator: Genesis, the first of a planned three-film reboot to the storied franchise. He joins a cast that includes Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty), Jai Courtney, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator), and J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man).

Okeniyi will play Denny Dyson, the son of Joe Morton’s character in Terminator 2 and a key developer in the creation of SkyNet. Deadline reports that Dyson will play a major role in the film’s conclusion. Okeniyi previously appeared in The Spectacular Now and had a supporting role in The Hunger Games, but was killed off during the events of the film. Hopefully this next turn in a major franchise will give him a greater chance to shine. John Boyega (Attack the Block) had been considered for the role, but also found himself in consideration for a role in Star Wars VII and could not commit to Terminator in time.

Terminator: Genesis will begin shooting later this year and is scheduled to release on July 1, 2015. It will be directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World).