The machines are taking over, and it’s Chris Hemsworth to the rescue (who else?). Deadline reports Thor himself has landed the highly coveted lead role in Steven Spielberg’s long-gestating adaptation of Daniel H. Wilson’s best-selling sci-fi novel “Robopocalypse.”

Wilson’s vision of the ever-popular post-apocalyptic world is one in which the machines that once aided the human race in their everyday lives have taken over. Cars begin to run people over in the street, automated doors trap people inside buildings, and more menacingly, army robots built to do the killing for their human controllers turn their deadly weapons on the US Army. They are all under the new leadership of a supercomputer who calls himself Archos. No word on who Hemsworth will play, as the book is told in anthology format and features a large cast of characters, none of whom resemble a godly 6’3″ Australian. Spielberg first committed to directing the big budget blockbuster back in 2010, but with a April 25, 2014 now set in place and casting underway, it appears he’s finally ready to firmly commit to it as his next project. Drew Goddard adapted the screenplay, which drew Spielberg to the project initially.

Hemsworth’s casting is a big get for the rapidly rising Australian actor, though it shouldn’t be surprising as he continues to prove himself an increasingly bankable action star. After stealing “Star Trek” with one five minute opening scene, the still unknown Hemsworth was given a great responsibility by Kenneth Branagh to bring Marvel superhero “Thor” to the big screen – and he did it effortlessly. An all-star team-up with all of Marvel’s “The Avengers” followed, and Hemsworth held his own against the likes of Robert Downey, Jr and a big green Hulk. “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Cabin in the Woods” further cemented his leading man status this year, so if all of his past roles are anything to go by, Spielberg has made a great choice in letting Hemsworth lead the fight in “Robocopalyse.”