Jason Gedrick stars in one movie set in Afghanistan

Jason Gedrick has joined the lucky ranks of actors who will star in an original movie for the Sci Fi Channel.

The network has signed a deal with RHI Entertainment for five original movies, one set in Afghanistan starring Gedrick, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Production will begin in Romania soon on three of the telefilms, including Gedrick's project, "Sand Serpents," which follows American soldiers who aren't just battling the Taliban but also a horde of giant carnivorous serpents in the Afghan desert.

Also shooting is "Alien Western," set during the 1890s when buglike machines from another world attack a town in the Old West, and "Carney," in which an evil carnival side-show attraction escapes and wreaks havoc on a Depression-era town. The latter film is loosely based on the Jersey Devil legend.

The three films join the already wrapped films "Hellhounds" directed by Ricky Schroder and the Eric Balfour-starring "Rise of the Gargoyle."

The TV movies will premiere sometime in 2009, airing during the Most Dangerous Night of Television" weekend franchise.

Gedrick, 43, is best known for his roles in "Murder One," "Boomtown," "Windfall" and on the big screen, "Iron Eagle."