With an already cracking team locked in, Zack Snyder’s epic sci-fi fantasy film Rebel Moon has added Rupert Friend and Stuart Martin to its cast.

Those already aboard include Sofia Boutella (Settlers, Kingsman: The Secret Service), Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), Djimon Hounsou (A Quiet Place Part II, The King’s Man, Captain Marvel), Doona Bae (Sense8, The Host), Ray Fisher (Zack Snyder’s Justice League), and Jena Malone (The Neon Demon, The Hunger Games franchise).

Rebel Moon tells the story of a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent, Belisarius. Desperate, the colonists dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past (Boutella) to seek out warriors from neighbouring planets to help them make a stand against the invading forces.

Friend, best known for Homeland and the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, will play the film’s lead antagonist, a man who leads Belisarius’ armies against Boutella’s ragtag team. There’s little information about what role Martin, who worked on the Snyder-produced Army of Thieves, might play in the feature. However, sources at The Hollywood Reporter suggest his role will also be as an antagonist.

Snyder co-writes the script with Army of the Dead co-screenwriter Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad (himself a co-writer of 300). Production on Rebel Moon is due to begin in April and finish in November, with sights on a 2023 release.