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Since he (almost literally) skyrocketed to the A-list only some years less than a decade ago, Chris Pratt has gone on various adventures that have taken him in nearly every direction you could think of. So, naturally, the only place he has left to go is the future, which is exactly where he is going in The Tomorrow War - a sci-fi thriller (premiering exclusively on Amazon Prime Friday, July 2) about a group of modern-day military personnel (also including Yvonne Strahovski) transported through time to save humanity from an evil alien enemy. To find out who else has been drafted into this bizarre conflict, read on through this breakdown of who is playing who in (and where you might recognize them) the Tomorrow War cast, starting with the movie’s aforementioned main hero.
Chris Pratt (Dan Forester)
Pulling double duty as executive producer and top-billed lead of The Tomorrow War is one of America’s favorite’s leading men, Chris Pratt - who transitioned from sitcom star (as Andy Dwyer in the Parks and Recreation cast) to action star when he played Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014. Since then, he has starred in three (soon to be five) other Marvel movies, two (soon to be three) Jurassic World movies, two LEGO movies, one Pixar movie (Onward), and a surprisingly good remake of The Magnificent Seven in 2016. It appears that the 42-year-old former Everwood cast member (which is how he met MCU actress Emily VanCamp) will soon revisit that western persona and add two other vastly disparate personas to his resume all at once when he stars in the long-awaited adaptation of A.J. Lieberman and Riley Rossmo’s graphic novel, Cowboy Ninja Viking.
Yvonne Strahovski (Col. Muri Forester)
This is not the first time that Yvonne Strahovski has faced off against otherworldly beings, having been a staple of the Mass Effect video game series since the second installment in 2010 and appearing in Shane Black’s The Predator in 2018. The Australian-born beauty also has had her fair of roles as ass-kicking women, from breaking out on the Chuck cast as CIA agent Sarah Walker to playing English CIA agent Kate Morgan on 24: Live Another Day, and also very troubled people, like the homicidal Hannah McKay on the Dexter cast or wrongfully incarcerated flight attendant Sophie Werner on the fact-based Netflix exclusive miniseries Stateless. Stahovski returned the role on the Handmaid’s Tale cast that earned her both a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination - Serena Waterford - for Season 4 of the hit Hulu drama in 2021.
Sam Richardson (Charlie)
This is also not the first time that comedian Sam Richardson has encountered threats of a bizarre kind - and in more than one genre, too - as a recurring cast member of the Netflix original sketch comedy series I Think You Should Leave and a series regular on M.O.D.O.K., which is one of the more unique Marvel TV shows exclusive to Hulu. The actor of Ghanaian descent would also pop up in small parts in TV shows like The Office and movies like Spy before joining the Veep cast made him one of the most promising and comedic talents of his time, but being a part of the Tomorrow War cast looks like the beginning of him transitioning into more serious projects, like the upcoming dramedy Shoot the Rooster. You will also be able to hear his voice as a currently undisclosed character on Harley Quinn Season 3 soon enough.
Betty Gilpin (Emmy Forester)
Before joining the Tomorrow War cast (not as a soldier, but as the wife of Chris Pratt’s character), Betty Gilpin was known primarily for kicking human butt, particularly on the GLOW cast as a female professional wrestling star in 1980s Los Angeles and in the controversial 2020 thriller The Hunt as one of several strangers randomly selected to be hunted for sport. The three-time Emmy-winning actress has also played a variety of other roles on the big and small screen, from sexually promiscuous doctor Carrie Roman on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, a reproductive biology researcher on said network’s Masters of Sex, and the spirit of World War II-era nurse in the film Ghost Town from 2008. When not playing a medical professional, Gilpin has also played Rebel Wilson’s assistant and rival in the rom-com parody Isn’t It Romantic and a detective in the Netflix original comedy Coffee and Kareem in 2020, just to name a few.
J.K. Simmons (James Forester)
Before joining the Tomorrow War cast as the father of Chris Pratt’s character, J.K. Simmons found himself in another weird situation involving time in the hilarious Hulu exclusive rom-com Palm Springs in 2020 and other strange, fateful battles as part of the Invincible voice cast on Amazon Prime the following. The latter is also just the most recent of several times that the Oscar-winner (for 2014’s Whiplash) has played a comic book character after appearing as Peter Parer’s boss J. Jonah Jameson in several superhero movies (and counting) and also joining the DC movies as Commissioner James Gordon in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. You also might recognize Simmons’ voice as the Yellow M&M in the popular candy brand’s ads and will hear it again in the upcoming animated adventure Seal Team, which is expected to come out in January 2022.
Mary Lynn Rajskub (Norah)
The Tomorrow War will see Mary Lynn Rajskub reuniting with a few people in the cast, including Yvonne Strahovski from 24: Live Another Day (on which she reprised her role from the original hit series as Chloe O’Brian) and Sam Richardson (whose short-lived Comedy Central series Detroiters featured the actress in a guest appearance). Those two credits should be all you need to know to realize that the actress and comedian has done pretty much everything under the sun, from acclaimed cinematic dramedies like 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine to Bob Odenkirk and David Cross’ irreverent sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David and its Netflix original reboot W/Bob and David in 2015. Rajskub will continue her penchant for variety with the upcoming films Please Baby Please and Blue Iguana.
Edwin Hodge (Dorian)
The Tomorrow War will also see a reunion between Chris Pratt and Edwin Hodge for the first time since the ‘80s-set comedy Take Me Home Tonight and marks the latest time that Edwin Hodge has played a soldier, such as on Six - the Navy Seal Team Six-inspired drama from A&E. The 36-year-old made his acting debut alongside his younger brother Aldis Hodge in 1995’s Die Hard with a Vengeance and would later go on to become a staple of the Purge movies, appear in the 2018 Transformers prequel Bumblebee, and land a recurring role on the Sons of Anarchy spin-off Mayans M.C. for FX. Hodge was also recently cast as former NBA player Ron Boone in an upcoming miniseries about the history Los Angeles Lakers for HBO.
Jasmine Matthews (Lt. Hart)
The Tomorrow War marks the feature film debut (and fifth acting credits overall) of Jasmine Matthews, who has already endured an impressive reputation on TV in her short career so far. Her first gig was a guest spot on the Blue Bloods cast before landing a part on the Paramount Network’s series adaptation of the 1989 coming-of-age dark comedy Heathers in 2018 and Starz’s coming-of-age drama Sweetbitter the same year. She would later earn a recurring role on the hit ABC cop show The Rookie and will appear in The Man from Toronto opposite Kevin Hart next.
Keith Powers (Major Greenwood)
Keith Powers also made his feature film debut with a big budget ensemble piece in the form of 2015’s NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton before being cast in a recurring spot on the MTV comedy Faking It, which led to more popular movies like Before I Fall in 2017 and more buzz worthy TV shows like the thriller What/If (not to be confused with Marvel’s Disney+ series What If…?) on Netflix. After appearing in The Tomorrow War, Powers has romantic dramas On Our Way and The Perfect Find lined up next.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Young Muri Forester)
I would call The Tomorrow War a big break for 11-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong (who plays Chris Pratt’s daughter) if she had not already been in so many huge titles of the big screen such as It: Chapter Two (one of the most successful horror movies of 2019), The Glorias (in which she played a young Gloria Steinem), and the Netflix original series Anne with an “E.” She will soon be appearing on American Horror Story Season 10, has a role in the long-awaited Marvel movie Black Widow, is now filming Firestarter - a new adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel.
Well, it appears that the aliens threatening the world’s future in The Tomorrow War have some fierce competition to face with a cast of heavy-hitters like these actors. We shall see for sure when the sci-fi thriller from director Chris McKay premieres on Amazon Prime Video Friday, July 2, 2021.
