Atlas Cast & Character Guide

Summary Lopez stars in Netflix's Atlas as Atlas Shepherd, who must overcome her distrust of AI to save humanity.

The film features a talented cast including Simu Liu and Sterling K. Brown to bring this sci-fi story to life.

Atlas follows a classic tale of AI technology gone wrong, with Atlas needing to trust an AI-powered mech suit to survive.

Jennifer Lopez seeks to save the world in Netflix's Atlas, accompanied by a talented cast of actors who help to bring this science fiction story to life. The 2024 film is a classic story of AI technology gone wrong, but for Lopez's titular character to stop the CPU villains, she must learn to trust one of their fellows. Atlas features talent from projects like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, This is Us, Once Upon a Time, Sherlock Holmes, and more to tell its story, joining Lopez to play out a war to stop the greatest genocide Earth has ever seen.

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Netflix's Atlas follows its titular character (Lopez), who has a severe distrust for AI technology after her family bot led an assault against humankind. Atlas made it her life's mission to find and destroy this bot, and it seems she finally has her chance when the International Coalition of Nations (ICN) sends her off-world on a mission to do just that. However, when everything goes terribly wrong, Atlas must depend on an AI-powered mech suit to stay alive. It's an exciting tale with all the staples of great sci-fi, and this requires a great cast to bring Netflix's movie to the small screen.

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Atlas' Cast & Characters Actor Character Jennifer Lopez Atlas Shepherd Simu Liu Harlan Sterling K. Brown Colonel Banks Gregory James Cohan Smith Abraham Popoola Casca Vix Lana Parilla Val Shepherd Mark Strong General Boothe

Jennifer Lopez As Atlas Shepherd

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Active Since: 1986

Born and raised in the Bronx of New York City, actor, dancer, and singer Jennifer Lopez's breakout film was 1997's Selena, in which she played iconic pop star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. From there, Lopez gained further prominence in films like Anaconda (1997) and Out of Sight (1998). In 2000, Lopez starred in popular romantic comedies like The Wedding Planner (2001), Shall We Dance? (2004), and Monster-in-Law (2005). The 2020s brought Marry Me (2022), The Mother (2023), and the musical film based on Lopez's 2024 album, This is Me... Now: A Love Story.

Jennifer Lopez's Notable Movie & TV Roles Movie/ TV Show Title Role Selena (1997) Selena The Wedding Planner (2001) Mary Fiore Monster-in-Law (2005) Charlie Cantilini The Mother (2023) The Mother This is Me... Now: A Love Story (2024) Herself

In the 2024 Netflix movie Atlas, Lopez plays the titular character, Atlas Shepherd. She is the daughter of a genius scientist who has learned through painful experience never to trust AI. Atlas' only goal in life is to find and kill AI terrorist Harlan, who has a terrible connection to her past.

Simu Liu As Harlan

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Active Since: 2012

Actor Simu Liu was born in Harbin, China, and raised in Canada. He had his breakout role with the CBC Television sitcom Kim's Convenience in 2015 and later gained a recurring role in the NBC series Taken (2016). Liu gained further notoriety when he starred in the MCU film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, going on from there to appear in 2023's Simulant and Barbie.

Simu Liu Notable Movie & TV Roles Movie/TV Show Title Role Kim's Convenience (2015) Jung Kim Taken (2016) Faaron Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Shang-Chi Simulant (2023) Casey Barbie (2023) A Ken

Liu plays Atlas' central villain, Harlan, the world's first AI terrorist.

Liu plays Atlas' central villain, Harlan, the world's first AI terrorist. This character considers himself Atlas' brother since he was created by her mother, Dr. Val Shepherd, to serve humanity and protect her family. However, Harlan betrayed his maker and initiated the devastating genocide of millions of humans.

Sterling K. Brown As Colonel Banks

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Active Since: 2001

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Sterling K. Brown gained prominence as an actor, appearing in dozens of TV shows, such as ER, Alias, Without a Trace, Supernatural, and much more. He notably starred in the FX series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016), playing Christopher Darden, before starring in the hit TV show This is Us between 2016 and 2022. Brown's movie credits include Black Panther (2018), Frozen II (2019), and American Fiction (2023).

Sterling K. Brown's Notable Movie & TV Roles Movie/ TV Show Title Role The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016) Christopher Darden This is Us (2016) Randall Pearson Black Panther (2018) N'Jobu Frozen II (2019) Lieutenant Destin Mattias American Fiction (2023) Clifford Ellison

In Netflix's 2024 science fiction movie Atlas, Brown plays Colonel Banks, the commanding officer of the mission to find and capture Harlan. Banks is brave and intelligent, though his greatest fault is that he doesn't take Atlas' input and warnings about Harlan seriously.

Gregory James Cohan As Smith

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Active Since: 2014

Born and raised in New York City, actor Gregory James Cohan began his voice-acting career in children's television and has grown from there. Cohan has credits in TV shows like Space Available (2014), My Dirty Little Secret (2015), and NCIS: Los Angeles (2019). Cohen is best known for Where There's Smoke (2017), A Little Water (2019), The VelociPastor (2018), and the video game Red Dead Redemption II.

Gregory James Cohan's Notable Movie & TV Roles Movie/ TV Show Title Role My Dirty Little Secret (2015) Joe Caronna NCIS: Los Angeles (2019) Guard Alvin Bell Where There's Smoke (2017) Conor The VelociPastor (2018) Doug Jones

Cohen is the voice of Smith in Atlas, the AI companion that powers Lopez's character's mech suit. Smith's primary goal is to keep Atlas safe, but her distrust of AI makes this nearly impossible as the pair navigate the inhospitable planet they have landed on. However, as Smith proves himself different from the villainous Harlan, the pair begin to work together to save the world.

According to Netflix, Cohen was brought in to read lines with Lopez only temporarily until the part of Smith was cast, but it eventually became clear he was the perfect actor for the job.

Atlas Supporting Cast & Characters

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Abraham Popoola as Casca Vix - Casca Vix, one of Harlan's AI soldiers, is played by Abraham Popoola in Atlas. Papoola is best known for his work in Andor, Cruella, Morbius, and The Marvels.

Lana Parilla as Val Shepherd - Actor Lana Parilla, best known for her roles in Spin City, 24, Once Upon a Time, and NYPD Blue, plays Val Shepherd, Atlas' mother who was killed before the Netflix sci-fi begins.

Mark Strong as General Boothe - General Boothe is an ICN officer who believes in Atlas despite her antisocial, distrusting, and abrasive ways. The Atlas character is played by Mark Strong, whose many credits include Stardust (2007), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Kick-Ass (2010), Cruella (2021), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).