We were more excited than annoyed when Syfy announced its intent to reboot classic Terry Gilliam-Bruce Willis timebender '12 Monkeys' as a TV series, even moreso now that casting has begun. 'Nikita' and 'X-Men' franchise star Aaron Stanford will take the role once played by Bruce Willis in the big-screen adaptation, while another will fill Madeline Stowe's role, and producers have been chosen as well.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Stanford will take the role of Cole (James Cole in the film), a desperate and haunted man from the near future who has been sent to the present to stop a deadly plague from being released upon the world by the Army of the 12 Monkeys. Fellow 'Nikita' star Amanda Schull will play Cassandra Railly (Katherine in the film), a brilliant doctor forced to choose between her idyllic life, and joining Cole's mission to uncover the mysterious conspiracy surrounding the plague.

Moreover, 'In Plain Sight' star Natalie Chaidez has joined Syfy's '12 Monkeys' reboot as showrunner, while Jeffrey Reiner has been tapped to direct and executive produce. The new iteration of the film emerged from a pitch by feature film producers Chuck Roven and Richard Suckle, with ‘Nikita‘ writers Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett on board to write the 90-minute pilot, which Syfy will take to series if successful.

For those unfamiliar with the 1995 film, ’12 Monkeys’ featured Bruce Willis in the role of James Cole, criminal inmate in an apocalyptic future where Earth’s surviving population dwells underground in fear of a deadly virus released years earlier by the Army of the Twelve Monkeys (led by a young, Oscar-nominated Brad Pitt). Cole is sent back to the past to prevent the outbreak of the virus, hoping to earn himself a pardon if successful. Syfy’s version will reportedly follow the same basic outline, which itself was derived from French director Chris Marker’s 1962 science fiction short ‘La Jetée.’

We've included the original '12 Monkey's trailer below, so check it out and tell us in the comments if you think Aaron Stanford and co. will make Syfy's '12 Monkeys' worthy of the reboot!

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