Paramount and Skydance Productions have recruited the former Doctor Who star to the franchise reboot.

Smith will play a new character with a strong connection to John Connor and joins the cast of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, JK Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi and Byung Hun Lee.

Alan Taylor directs from a screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier.

David Ellison and Dana Goldberg of Skydance Productions are producing. Skydance’s Paul Schwake, Annapurna Pictures’ Megan Ellison, Kalogridis and Lussier are the executive producers.

Paramount will distribute Terminator worldwide on July 1, 2015.