Heroes actress Ali Larter seems set to join Joshua Jackson in the new $130 million adaptation of Gerry Anderson's 1970s UK sci-fi series UFO, announced last July. In an exclusive interview with forbiddenplanet.com, UFO director Matthew Gratzner discussed the casting of Col. Virginia Lake, played in the original series by British actress Wanda Ventham.

?For the character of Virginia Lake we've talked to Ali Larter, who's very interested." Gratzner told us. "I've actually met with her, and I think she would be a great addition to the picture. Lake is very strong and obviously also very feminine, and Ali Larter definitely encompasses that.?

Gratzner, a visual effects veteran who has contributed to a string of Hollywood blockbusters including The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Hancock, Superman Returns, and War Of The Worlds, also revealed that that the new UFO film is set to kick off a trilogy. "There are three movies planned. The first script is completed, and number two and number three are treatments - and numbers two and three are even more spectacular!."



The original series was puppet-master Gerry Anderson's initial foray into live-action SF TV Iin the wake of 'Supermarionation' series such as Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90), and ran in the UK and US for one season in 1970-71. The show was set 'ten years in the future' and dealt with a typical Anderson-esque secret military organisation dedicated to defending the world from alien invaders determined to harvest us for our internal organs. It's probably best remembered by casual viewers for the distinctive purple wigs of the 'moonbase' personnel that hold a vigil against alien incursions, but the series has built up a strong and loyal global fan-base over four decades (and numerous failed attempts to revive UFO - including the second season that eventually morphed into the unrelated Space:1999).

Matthew Gratzner had far more to say to us about the new UFO trilogy - read the interview here!