J.K. Simmons Joins Cast of Luc Besson's ‘The Lake’

J.K. Simmons, 60, last seen on the big screen as music instructor Terence Fletcher in Damien Chazelle's Whiplash for which he won the Best Supporting Actor awards from the Academy, the Golden Globe and the BAFTA, now joins action stars Charlie Bewley, Diarmaid Murtagh, and Sullivan Stapleton in the cast of Luc Besson's production of the upcoming thriller film, The Lake.

Directed by Steven Quale from a screenplay written by Besson and Richard Wenk, The Lake is described as a film that will follow events as they happen to a group of Navy SEALs who attempt to solve an age-old mystery involving a treasure underneath a lake in war-torn Serbia. Their quest compels them to find out who left it there and what its ultimate purpose might be.Simmons' role is described as that of "the rear admiral and leathery boss to the SEALs who doesn't exactly approve of what his team is doing but supports them nevertheless."

Luc Besson, 56, known for his work on Lucy which stars Scarlett Johansson, Liam Neeson's Taken trilogy, the Milla Jovovich-headed Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc and The Fifth Element, among others, is producing The Lake through his EuropaCorp film company. The film is announced for release to theaters on July 15, 2016.

Simmons has also appeared in films that are due for this year, including Worlds Apart, Rock Dog, and notably Terminator Genisys where he co-stars with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, Matt Smith, Lee Byung-hun, and Dayo Okeniyi. He is currently filming The Accountant with Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal and Cynthia Addai-Robinson, following which he will join Tom Hiddleston and Michael Keaton for the shooting of Kong: Skull Island.

On the small-screen, Simmons continue to serve as voice actor for such animated series as BoJack Horseman, Chozen, Hulk and the Agents of SMASH, Avengers Assemble, Lego Marvel Superheroes, The Ultimate Spider-Man, The Legend of Korra, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Ben 10, among others.