First Anne Hathaway, now Ben Whishaw. Steven Spielberg certainly is moving fast on his adaptation of Daniel H. Wilson’s “Robopocalypse.” Chris Hemsworth had been chosen for the lead role back in July, but over the past 24 hours two more of Spielberg’s casting choices have emerged in quick succession. In addition to Hathaway, Variety reports the director is also eyeing “Skyfall” actor Whishaw for a pivotal role.

Hemsworth is the furthest along in the negotiating process, most likely playing Cormac Wallace, with Hathaway described as being in “early talks” for the unspecified female lead, while Whishaw has no official offer yet, though he is at the top of Spielberg’s wishlist for the role of Lurker, an expert hacker. The three will undoubtedly be joined by a much larger cast of characters (judging by Wilson’s book, at least) who all reside in a futuristic world in which machines – cars, elevators, toasters, etc – have began turning against the humans they were invented to aid, seemingly under the control of a central supercomputer named Archos. Drew Goddard adapted the screenplay, which drew Spielberg to the project initially, and a release date of April 25, 2014 has already been set.

Whishaw first broke out as the lead in 2006′s historical horror “Perfume: A Story of Murder” and gained raves for his portrayal of John Keats opposite Abbie Cornish in 2009′s “Bright Star.” He’ll next be seen as gadget master Q opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond in “Skyfall”, which opens next month, and in the Wachowskis’ ambitious “Cloud Atlas.”