British actress Lena Headey has been cast as the star of a TV series based on the Terminator film franchise, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The 33-year-old takes the title role in The Sarah Connor Chronicles - set after the events of the second instalment of Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie series.
The character, played by Linda Hamilton on the big screen, died of leukaemia before the third film begins.
Headey has had roles in films such as The Brothers Grimm and Ripley's Game.
Born in Bermuda, she was raised in Huddersfield, and began her acting career with roles in the TV dramas Soldier Soldier and Spender.
'Fourth movie'
The Terminator spin-off series is due to air on the Fox network in the US next year.
Schwarzenegger, who has just been re-elected as Governor of California, is not expected to appear.
"The show needs to stand on its own while still being respectful of the franchise," said writer Josh Friedman when details of the programme were announced last year.
The original Terminator film starred Schwarzenegger as a cyborg who travels back in time to kill Sarah Connor - preventing her from giving birth to a boy who leads a resistance army in the future.
In the second film, a re-programmed Terminator struggles to protect Connor and her son from further threats from the future.
A third instalment, T3: Rise Of The Machines, topped the box office chart in every country in which it was released in 2003.
Last year, Variety magazine reported that a fourth movie was in development.
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