Universal Pictures and Good Universe’s upcoming science fiction thriller Extinction has found a new star. Variety reports that Lizzy Caplan, who headlines Showtime‘s Masters of Sex alongside Michael Sheen, is joining the Extinction movie cast opposite the previously announced Michael Pena. The film, which is set to be directed by Ben Young, boasts a screenplay by Arrival‘s Eric Heisserer alongside Spenser Cohen and Bradley Caleb Kane.
The Extinction movie follows Pena as a man who has a recurring nightmare of losing his family. When the planet is invaded by an alien force, the man discovers an unknown strength as he fights for his family’s survival. Caplan will play the man’s wife.
Producing the Extinction movie are Mandeville‘s David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman alongside Anna Halberg. Also of Mandeville, Alexander Young will serve as executive producer alongside Good Universe’s Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane. Overseeing for Universal are Erik Baiers and Mika Pryce with Erin Westerman doing so for Good Universe.
Lizzy Caplan recently finished her work on Masters of Sex with the series having concluded its four season run last fall. Caplan was also seen on the big screen last year in both Jon M. Chu’s Now You See Me 2 and in Robert Zemeckis’ Allied. She’s no stranger to sci-fi disaster, either, having starred in Matthew Reeves’ “found footage” hit, Cloverfield. She can also be seen coming up in the BBC miniseries Ill Behavior.
