After months of testing and speculation, Jai Courtney has landed the coveted role of Kyle Reese in Paramount's Terminator: Genesis. We reported in January that the Divergent star was testing for the role, alongside other actors such as Sam Reid, Wilson Bethel and Boyd Holbrook, with the casting race narrowed down to Jai Courtney and Boyd Holbrook just last week.

The actor joins Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke as John Connor and Emilia Clarke as John's mother Sarah Connor. In the original 1984 classic The Terminator, Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn) was the soldier sent back in time by resistance leader John Connor to save his mother Sarah, with Kyle ultimately becoming John's actual father.

While no plot details have been confirmed yet, this story is said to be the first in a stand-alone trilogy. Since there is a significant age difference between the 26-year-old Emilia Clarke and the 44-year-old Jason Clarke, it's believed that the story will take place both in the future and in an undetermined time in the past, most likely before John Connor is even born.

Alan Taylor is directing from a script by Patrick Lussier and Laeta Kalogridis, with David Ellison producing for Skkydance and Megan Ellison producing for Annapurna. No production schedule has been released.

Jai Courtney is best known for playing the son of John McClane (Bruce Willis) in last year's A Good Day to Die Hard. He will next be seen in Divergent and Unbroken.