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Lightyears: J.K. Simmons replacing Ed O’Neill

By Alexandria Ingham

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 06: Actor J. K. Simmons poses for portrait at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations With "I'm Not Here" at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Screening Room on March 06, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 06: Actor J. K. Simmons poses for portrait at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations With "I'm Not Here" at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Screening Room on March 06, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images) /
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Ed O’Neill was originally cast as the male lead in Amazon’s Lightyears. He’s exiting the project, with J.K. Simmons replacing him.

The Modern Family star was set to play the lead male in the new Amazon series. However, Deadline reports that he’s stepped away from the project for family reasons, and that’s led to a new actor taking on the role. Simmons is stepping into the role.

Sissy Spacek is still set to star opposite Simmons. The two will play Franklin and Irene York, a couple who discovered a chamber buried in their backyard. This chamber leads to a strange and deserted planet, and it’s something they’ve kept a secret for their whole lives.

Their life is quickly turned on its head when a young man suddenly enters their lives. It turns out that the mysterious chamber is far more than they ever thought possible.

Simmons will play Franklin, a charmingly grumpy former woodworker. He doesn’t have his wife’s fascination for the chamber, but he ensures it for the sake of his love for her. However, it’s starting to get to him, and it’s sure to get worse when the strange man turns up!

Lightyears isn’t J.K. Simmons’s only upcoming Amazon project

If you want to see Simmons in an Amazon project before Lightyears, there isn’t long to wait. He’ll star opposite Chris Pratt in The Tomorrow War.

He has also voiced the character Omni-Man on Invincible. The Amazon animated series has just been renewed for two more seasons after a successful debut. You’ve got plenty of time to catch up.

There isn’t a premiere date for Lightyears just yet. Don’t expect anything until at least 2022 at this rate.

Next. 25 best Amazon Original shows that make your Prime membership worthwhile. dark

Lightyears is just one of the many projects coming to Amazon Prime Video soon. Stay tuned for the latest updates.

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