J.K. Simmons, who recently took home the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in Whiplash, has signed on to headline Counterpart, a supernatural spy drama for Starz. According to reports, there’s a good chance this series, which is also being produced by Starz, will initially be picked up for two seasons.

Justin Marks, best known for writing the upcoming film The Jungle Book, is creating and writing this series, which is being described as an “espionage thriller with a metaphysical twist.” The Imitation Game director Morten Tyldum is set to direct the first two episodes of the drama. Tyldum is also onboard to executive produce the show alongside Marks.

Simmons is cast in the role of Howard Silk/Prime, a low level employee of a bureaucratic UN agency who suddenly goes from leading a life filled with regret, into an extraordinary adventure, upon discovering a shocking secret. The agency he works for is able to transport humans through a parallel dimension. Through Howard and his counterpart on the other side (Prime), the series explores a wide range of provocative themes, including lost love, identity, idealism and life’s ‘what if’ questions.