Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith has taken on the lead role in the action thriller Patient Zero, Deadline reports.

He'll star alongside Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer in a team-up made in millennial geek heaven. The Screen Gems film comes from a script by Mike Le and will be directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky.

Patient Zero takes place in a world following a global outbreak of super-rabies that's resulted in the creation of a new ultra-violent species. Only one person has been gifted with a natural immunity, and it will be up to Smith to track down the titular patient zero and figure out a cure before his wife and all of humanity are killed.

Smith has kept busy since hanging up his bow tie as the Doctor. He will next be seen in Terminator: Genisys and will follow that sci-fi role with a turn in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.