British actor Ben Whishaw, who will be seen in Warner Bros.' Cloud Atlas and Sony's Skyfall this fall, is circling a major role in Robopocalypse for DreamWorks and director Steven Spielberg.

An official offer has yet to go out to the actor, although DreamWorks has had him at the top of their list to play a computer hacker named Lurker. Chris Hemsworth is in negotiations for the male lead, while Anne Hathaway has been approached to take on the female lead.

The Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard is writing the adapted screenplay based on Daniel H. Wilson's novel. The story is set in the aftermath of a robot uprising, exploring the fate of the human race now that the machines have taken over. The novel was published in June 2011, quickly making The New York Times Best Sellers List.

Production is scheduled to begin in early 2013, with an April 25, 2014 release date already set.