Robopocalypse spent a few years in Steven Spielberg's development pipeline, but with an official April 25, 2014 release date, the movie is set to be Spielberg's next directorial project after Lincoln.  One key component is still missing: a leading man.  According to Deadline, Spielberg wants Chris Hemsworth to fill those shoes.  There is no official offer on the table yet, but Hemsworth has proven himself as a credible and charismatic (not to mention marketable) action lead, so it's no wonder Spielberg is smitten.

Daniel H. Wilson’s source novel takes place in a future where "artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication."  The report does not mention which role Hemsworth is up for, but the book synopsis mentions an "isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire."  That seems like a good fit---any readers care to offer better insight?  Read that book synopsis for Robopocalypse after the jump.

They are in your house. They are in your car. They are in the skies…Now they’re coming for you.

In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication. In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans – a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire – but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.

When the Robot War ignites — at a moment known later as Zero Hour — humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. [Amazon]

Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) adapted the screenplay.