Michael Sheen on Board as Robot in Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence Sci-Fi Love Story 'Passengers'

By Dondi Tiples, Christian Post Contributor Monday, July 20, 2015

Welsh actor Martin Sheen is joining Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and "Jurassic World" star Chris Pratt as the voice of a robot in the adventure sci-fi love story "Passengers."

Sheen, 46, better known for his role as the werewolf Lucian in "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," and the ancient vampire leader Aro in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," will be playing the third wheel to Pratt and Lawrence's romance in outer space.

The Sony Pictures Entertainment project, to be directed by "The Imitation Game" helmsman, Morten Tyldum, features a story that takes place aboard a transport spacecraft carrying thousands of passengers in cryogenic sleep to a faraway colony planet.

One of the sleep chambers malfunctions, waking a passenger (Pratt) decades earlier than expected. With 90 years left before reaching the destination planet, and doomed to grow old and die alone, he decides to awaken a fellow passenger (Lawrence) to spend the rest of the time with him instead of spending the remainder of his days by himself.

Pratt's character's decision may seem like extreme selfishness on the surface, however, it seems Lawrence's character has mixed feelings about it, and a romance grows between them onboard the ship.

Sheen voices a robot character in the story, and whether his role serves as a narrator or the sentient autopilot of the spacecraft has not yet been divulged. Besides Lawrence, Pratt, and Sheen, no other actors have been announced as having roles in the upcoming movie.

The screenplay will be written by John Spaihts, who is also penning the upcoming "Doctor Strange" adaptation for Marvel, and the film is scheduled to be released in 2016.