David Tennant Joins Cast of Rooster Teeth’s ‘gen:Lock’ Animated Series

By Todd Spangler

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Former “Doctor Who” star David Tennant will lend his voice to Rooster Teeth’s upcoming anime-style sci-fi series “gen:Lock.”

Tennant will play Dr. Rufus Weller (aka “Doc”), inventor of the titular technology in the show — giant, weaponized robot bodies known as mecha. Tennant, who starred as the Tenth Doctor in the BBC’s “Doctor Who,” joins the previously announced voice talent of Michael B. Jordan , Dakota Fanning and Kōichi Yamadera in the cast.

“Tennant is sci-fi royalty and we are thrilled to have him join this amazing cast,” said Burnie Burns, co-founder and chief creative officer at .

In “,” Earth’s last free society is on the losing side of a global war. Jordan provides the voice of Julian Chase, the first rebel pilot to step forward for the gen:Lock program, while Fanning plays an expert mech pilot and Chase’s love interest. Yamadera, a longtime anime voice actor, plays a recruit who transfers from Japan’s military forces to fight alongside Chase.

“My jaw hit the floor when I directed David as Doctor Weller for the first time,” Gray G. Haddock, “gen:Lock” showrunner and head of Rooster Teeth Animation, said in a statement. “He instantly nailed the breadth of emotion, both the humor and seriousness that Weller brings to the show — there are moments that will absolutely make the audience choke up.”

Set to debut in January 2019, “gen:Lock” is the second anime-style series from Rooster Teeth Animation. Its first foray into the genre was “RWBY,” which is going into its sixth season this fall. Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Productions is co-producing “gen:Lock” along with Rooster Teeth. The series is slated to be available on Rooster Teeth’s subscription service, which starts at $4.99 per month.