Gary Busey making his big return to film - in Sharknado 4

This generation's most unlikely franchise is returning for a fourth outing

(Getty)

Since it aired in 2013, TV movie Sharknado has spawned two sequels - and somewhat unsurprisingly, there's a third on the way which will mark the screen return of eccentric actor Gary Busey.

The first one - which starred Tara Reid (American Pie) and John Heard (Home Alone) - told the story of a waterspout that deposited deadly sharks upon an unsuspecting Los Angeles. It garnered a cult fan base following its airing on the SyFy channel.

Sharknado 2: The Second One and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! followed in 2014 and 2015, Reid opting to return as the character April for each one; the third also starred David Hasselhoff and former X Factor contestants Jedward (really).

Sharknado 4 will star Busey as April's father Wilford Wexler while iconic former-US model Cheryl Tiegs will star as the mother of character Fin (Ian Ziering).

Busey was Oscar-nominated in 1979 for his role as legendary singer Buddy Holly in biographical film The Buddy Holly Story. Considering his last screen credit of note was Piranha 3DD (2014), it's easy to see which route the actor's going down.

After winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, he cameoed in last year's big-screen version of HBO's Entourage.