Gary Busey cast as scientist in -- what else? -- 'Sharknado 4'; Mark Cuban still awaiting word

The cast for the third sequel to Sharknado was announced and we're all left wondering: How is it that Gary Busey is just now a cast member?

Syfy and The Asylum revealed the cast Tuesday and Busey, the Texas-born actor who's taken on some wacky roles before, is now aboard the schlocky Sharknado franchise. It will premiere on Syfy in July.

Right now, it's called Sharknado 4, but the show's creators are no doubt workshopping the title. Surely, the premise will again be about sharks falling from the sky and what a menace that can be. According to a Syfy release, Sharknado 4 will take place five years after the East Coast was pummeled in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! and "Fin, his family and the cosmos have been blissfully sharknado-free in the intervening years, but now sharks -- and 'nados! -- are being whipped up in places (and ways) least expected ..."

Busey, 71, will join newcomers Cheryl Tiegs, Tommy Davidson, Imani Hakim, Cody Linley and Masiela Lusha. They'll join Ian Ziering, who'll reprise his role as shark-fighting superhero Fin Shepard, and Tara Reid, who'll play April Wexler. If it's five years beyond the second sequel, Mark Cuban doesn't know whether he'll be the POTUS -- "Haven't been asked to this point," he said in an email to me.

Busey will play Wilford Wexler, April's father and the lead scientist at Astro-X. He's an expert in the advances in the field of robotics and likes to whip out a toothy grin whenever possible. Busey will be working on a revolutionary energy system that can stablize the atmosphere and prevent the formation of tornadoes, stuff that Busey probably picked up while living in Texas and Oklahoma.

Tiegs is cast as Raye, Fin's mom and Col. Gil Shepard's ex-wife. According to Syfy, "Raye is a little bit of a former flower child, but not afraid to speak her mind or protect her family."

Davidson, who was a cast member of In Living Color, is Aston Reynolds, playboy tech billionaire and Busey's boss. 

The show also will reveal the outcome of whether April Wexler lives or dies. When last we left April (spoiler alert), a big shark dropped on top of her in the show's final scene. An #AprilLives or #AprilDies social media campaign started and we'll know the results. Maybe the show's producers will hope this kick-starts the sequel. The second sequel had 2.8 million viewers, down from the 3.9 from the previous sequel.

For those worried about the artistic integrity and consistency of this sequel, Anthony C. Ferrante returns to direct the original screenplay that was written by Thunder Levin. Syfy, which is currently filming Sharknado 4, will also have more cameos to announce in the coming weeks.