Back To The Future‘s Christopher Lloyd is going on another time-travel journey. The Emmy-winning actor has signed on to guest star in Season 3 of Syfy’s time-travel thriller 12 Monkeys. In addition, series co-creator and showrunner Terry Matalas will make his directorial debut in the premiere episode, which started production in Toronto this week.

Llloyd will play Zalmon Shaw, a charming but deadly cult leader who preys upon other’s tragedies and losses in order to recruit new members into the apocalyptic cult the “Army of the 12 Monkeys.” Shaw is the father of the series’ most imposing villain, the enigmatic Pallid Man.

The series follows the journey of James Cole (Aaron Stanford), a man from the future sent back in time to stop the malevolent “Army of the 12 Monkeys” from destroying the world. Also starring are Amanda Schull, Kirk Acevedo, Emily Hampshire, Barbara Sukowa, and Todd Stashwick. In season three, Cole (Stanford) and Cassandra Railly (Schull) embark on a desperate search across time to find the man responsible for the apocalypse, a time traveler who calls himself the Witness. Killing the Witness will mean saving the world. But the journey will come at tremendous personal stakes for both Cole and Railly and will call into question new alliances, old bonds, and the virtue of the mission itself.

Best known for his iconic role as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future film series, Lloyd made his feature film debut in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and has won three Emmy Awards: one for outstanding lead actor in Road to Avonlea and two back-to-back wins for outstanding supporting actor in Taxi. He is repped by The Gersh Agency and managed by Andrew Freedman.

12 Monkeys is produced by Universal Cable Productions, in association with Atlas Entertainment, who produced the original cult classic film, 12 Monkeys.