Tim Riggins, Remy LeBeau and John Carter — pretty soon, Taylor Kitsch will have an all new iconic character to call his own as the "Friday Night Lights" actor will star in "Battleship," the upcoming action movie based on the popular board game.

But that's just the frosting on the cake for Taylor, as the young actor celebrates his 29th birthday today — and there's no better way to celebrate than with a brand new movie role!

Of course, Taylor has much more to look forward to than just "Battleship." The actor has already experienced plenty of good fortune in recent years playing Tim Riggins on the critically acclaimed "Friday Night Lights," the NBC football drama developed by "Battleship" director Peter Berg. Given that connection, it's hardly a wonder that the filmmaker and the erstwhile Riggins are teaming together again.

Despite his much beloved portrayal of the small town football hero, Taylor ultimately left the series as a full-time regular in order to pursue a career on the big screen. He starred as Cajun mutant Remy LeBeau — also known as Gambit — in last year's massively successful "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" based on the Marvel Comics character. There are hopes that the character could resurface in future "X-Men" movies.

Currently, Taylor is hard at work filming "John Carter of Mars" for director Andrew Stanton. Taylor stars as the titular John Carter, a Civil War soldier who is mysteriously transported to Mars. There, he falls in love with the beautiful Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) and finds himself in the midst of an alien war. It's a far cry from the football field for Taylor, but he's sure to make it work!

Having secured the lead role in the upcoming "Battleship" on his birthday, there is little doubt that Taylor is having himself one heck of a celebration — but that doesn't mean your well wishes aren't appreciated! Send Taylor your birthday messages in the comments section below and on Twitter!