What do the new Samuel L. Jackson thriller “Unthinkable,” Tim Burton’s remimagining of “Alice and Wonderland” and the political film “The Special Relationship” have in common? Michael Sheen.

Sheen, the actor from Britain who made quite a splash portraying England’s PM Tony Blair in the Academy Award winning film “The Queen,” is branching out of his tweed double-breasted attire to sink his teeth into juicer roles.

His new film with Jackson, and co-starring Carrie-Ann Moss (The Matrix), is a gripping, high-action drama that looks at torture, terrorism, black-ops and the threat of a terroristic nuclear threat.

“Alice in Wonderland,” starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter will take a fresh look at the beloved children’s tale from the refreshing, yet bizarre mind of director Tim Burton.

“The Special Relationship” has Sheen reprising his most famous portrayal in a film that looks at the inside relationship between Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush as the two men laid-out the blue-print for the Iraq War and the global fight against terrorism – a role that many politicos say cost Blair his position as PM.

Of course Sheen’s most recognizable role for SF genre fans is that of Lucien in the popular “Underworld” film franchise. Sheen will be playing the head of his Lycan clan once again for the next film in the series, a prequel titled “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans,” co-starring Bill Nighy once again portraying Viktor, the leader of the clan of vampires known as the Death Dealers, and the beautiful Rhona Mitra (“Doomsday”) as Sonja, vampire daughter of Viktor and secret lover of Lucien. “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” premieres across the globe on January 23, 2009.