Midnight Mass star joins The Boys spin-off show Gen V ahead of season 2

Midnight Mass (2021)
(Image credit: Netflix)

The Boys spin-off Gen V has added Hamish Linklater to its cast ahead of season 2.

According to Variety, the actor, who recently appeared in Mike Flanagan's hit horror series Midnight Mass, will play Godolkin University's newly appointed "charming and charismatic" dean Cipher. (RIP Dean Shetty).

Having been trained as a scientist, which will either prove trouble or a saving grace for Marie and the gang, depending on his awareness and attitude towards the anti-Supe virus, Cipher is also described as "politically brilliant". The publication goes on to say that the character "has the trust and admiration of officials at the highest level", but given how littered the show is with untrustworthy adults, we're not too sure whose interests he'll have at heart yet.

Based on the 'We Gotta Go Now' story arc from The Boys comic book, written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson, Gen V season 1 starred Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Shelley Conn, and Clancy Brown. 

Set in a Vought International-run college for young Supes, it follows the next generation as they get drunk, have fun, and compete in various trials to be the next big thing in the superhero world. Oh, and stumble across a terrifying, world-threatening secret about their prestigious school...

Most of the cast are expected to return for season 2, though it's uncertain what will happen with Perdomo's character Andre following the actor's tragic death back in April. It's been confirmed, however, that the role will not be recast.

Linklater is no stranger to playing morally complex roles having tackled Father Paul Hill, a mysterious, enigmatic priest harboring a dark secret, in the aforementioned Netflix show. Since then, he's played US President Abraham Lincoln in Manhunt and had a brief cameo as himself in American Horror Story: Delicate.

Gen V season 2 is expected to air sometime in 2025, while The Boys season 4 premieres on June 13. While we wait, check out our list of the best shows on Amazon Prime Video for some viewing inspiration.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
Gen V season 2: Jaz Sinclair as Marie in the TV series Gen V.
Gen V season 2: Everything we know so far
Jack Quaid and Jensen Ackles in The Boys
Soldier Boy-centred The Boys prequel adds two stars in mystery roles for the upcoming superhero show
Jamie Campbell Bower in Stranger Things 4
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 adds Stranger Things star and Eddie Marsan to cast
The Boys season 5: Karl Urban as William "Billy" Butcher punching an enemy during The Boys season 4.
The Boys season 5 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news
The Boys season 3
The Boys fans have some big theories about where Eric Kripke will take Soldier Boy in season 5
Invincible season 3
Invincible season 3 adds more to its superpowered cast including Breaking Bad and Marvel stars, as fan theories about their redacted roles run wild
Latest in Superhero Shows
Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon in Agatha All Along
A quickly killed off Agatha All Along star thought she'd be a witch: "I get there and no one is really looking me in the eye"
Peacemaker
Peacemaker season 2 star says the show feels like the DCU's "cool kid" as it's one of James Gunn's "first babies": "I'm excited to see how that expands and grows"
Mark Grayson in Invincible season 3
Voice acting is "complete" on Invincible season 4, which is a major boost to its 2026 release plans
Jack Quaid and Jensen Ackles in The Boys
Soldier Boy-centred The Boys prequel adds two stars in mystery roles for the upcoming superhero show
Mark Grayson in Invincible season 3
Invincible creator reveals fan-favorite villain is already cast ahead of season 4: "He's amazing"
Mark Grayson in Invincible season 3
Invincible season 3 video shows just how well the Conquest fight was adapted from the comics
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"