Aliens and The Terminator actor Michael Biehn is set to star in his first major studio movie in decades. Biehn famously played Corporal Dwayne Hicks in Aliens and Kyle Reese, the father of John Connor, in The Terminator. In more recent years, he had a memorable guest appearance in one of the best The Mandalorian episodes, “The Jedi,” in which he played a mercenary named Lang. However, it has been many years since Biehn starred in a major studio movie, with his last one being Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, which was released in 2007.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Biehn has joined the cast of the A24 movie Onslaught directed by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Adam Wingard. Family Matters‘ Reginald VelJohnson and comedian Eric Wareheim have also joined the cast that already included Andor‘s Adria Arjona and Legion‘s Dan Stevens. Onslaught is an action horror thriller in which Arjona plays a mother who fights to protect her loved ones from a dangerous experiment that escapes a secret miliary base. Biehn’s character leads a group of mercenaries attempting to capture the threat, while Stevens is the scientist responsible for the experiment.
What This Means For Michael Biehn
This Is A Triumphant Return For Michael Biehn
Biehn playing a mercenary leader is a natural choice given his past roles. Kyle Reese, Dwayne Hicks, and Lang were all soldiers of some kind, with Lang even being a mercenary just as Biehn’s Onslaught character will be. Biehn played a vital role in shaping the Terminator and Alien franchises’ best movies, and he can do the same for Onslaught, with his presence and action prowess making him well-suited to playing a prominent role in the A24 movie’s cast.
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While Biehn has more recently been in mainstream television series, including The Mandalorian season 2 and as a character named Ian in an episode of The Walking Dead season 11, it has been too long since he starred in a major studio movie. Wingard’s brand of over-the-top action, as seen in his direction of multiple Godzilla and Kong Monsterverse movies, will translate well to Biehn’s talents. While Onslaught is a standalone movie, it could lead to Biehn doing more major studio movies in the coming years.
Our Take On Onslaught’s Casting
Michael Biehn Is A Compelling Addition
While Biehn is the most exciting addition to Onslaught‘s cast, the prospect of him interacting with VelJohnson, Wareheim, Arjona, and Stevens is equally enticing, especially as they deal with a threat that sounds potentially reminiscent of a xenomorph. Even though Onslaught is unlikely to be the next Aliens or The Terminator, its director, premise, cast, and being an A24 movie make it a compelling next step for Biehn. Onslaught will be a project to keep an eye on as it prepares to head into production.
Source: THR
Aliens is a 1986 Sci-Fi classic by writer and director James Cameron. Starring Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, it’s widely considered one of the best Sci-Fi Horror films ever made. Ripley must band together with a group of Colonial Marines to investigate a disaster at a terraforming colony.
- Release Date
- July 18, 1986