Marshawn Lynch will have a “fun and pretty substantial” role in the third season of HBO’s Westworld, reports USA Today. The NFL running back is perhaps best known for leading the Seattle Seahawks to a victory against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The trailer for the sci-fi thriller’s third season, which was released Thursday, featured Lynch for a few seconds. In the trailer, viewers can spot Lynch walking down a hallway behind actor Aaron Paul, who is also joining the show for Season 3.
As a teaser, Lynch tweeted a poster for the series’ third season with the caption “FREE WILL IS NOT FREE.” Neither the poster nor the caption appear to reveal any significant information about the upcoming season, which premieres March 15 on HBO.
Lynch, whose previous acting credits include small roles in two episodes of FX’s The League and an episode of NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, joins a long line of NFL stars who have dabbled in acting. Legendary Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, for instance, played himself in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, while former running back and convicted felon O.J. Simpson played Officer Nordberg in The Naked Gun and its sequels.
Although Lynch’s previous acting experience is relatively limited, he is no stranger to performing for an audience. He once joked “I’m here so I won’t get fined” at press conference and is outspoken about his love for Skittles. Additionally, his “Beast Mode” persona turned him into a sensation among NFL fans.
The Buffalo Bills drafted Lynch in 2007. He played three seasons with the Bills before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2010. Lynch played for the Seahawks until retiring temporarily in 2015. He briefly came out of retirement in 2017 and played two seasons with the Oakland Raiders, then retired again. Lynch came out of retirement once again last season and returned to the Seahawks for the 2019-20 NFL playoffs.