Doctor Who star Matt Smith has signed on to star in the Screen Gems zombie thriller Patient Zero, alongside Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer.

The action-thriller takes place in the aftermath of a deadly pandemic where an enhanced strain of rabies turns humans into violent, zombie-like creatures. The plot centers on a man who is not only surprisingly immune to this disease, but has the ability to communicate with the dangerous species. He leads a quest to find Patient Zero, in hopes of finding a cure to save his infected wife and the rest of humanity.

Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters, Deadfall) is directing from a screenplay by Mike Le (W.M.D.), with Vincent Newman (We're the Millers, Paradise Lost) producing. No production schedule was given.

Matt Smith, who left Doctor Who last year, will next be seen in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Terminator Genisys and Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, Lost River.