It's only been 10 days since Tom Rothman resigned as chairman of 20th Century Fox’s feature film division, but the former executive hasn't wasted any time starting the next chapter of his career. According to a press release from DreamWorks, Rothman has signed on to produce Steven Spielberg's sci-fi spectacular Robopocalypse.

But that's not all. In other Robopocalypse news, A-list actress Anne Hathaway is reportedly in discussions to play the female lead in the film. If Hathaway took the part, she would potentially be starring opposite Chris Hemsworth, who was reported to be in negotiations for the project earlier this summer.

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to break the news of Rothman's possible involvement in Robopocalypse, as well as the news that Hathaway was circling the project.

While he was at Fox, Rothman was largely responsible for securing the film's foreign distribution rights, so it's not much of a surprise to learn of his involvement in producing the movie. Likewise, the news of Hathaway's possible involvement is unsurprising, since the 29-year-old actress seems to be rumored for roles in virtually every major upcoming movie.

Steven Spielberg Directing Robopocalypse

The Academy Award-nominated actress has been in high demand for years, but Hathway's recent turn as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises has pushed the actress into another realm entirely. Hathaway's next role will be as the prostitute Fantine in the musical Les Miserables, which hits theaters this Christmas.

While Spielberg's next film, Lincoln, is likely to deliver outstanding drama and will be a must-watch movie, it's exciting to imagine the visionary director taking on another epic sci-fi project. As Spielberg himself explained at the beginning of the year, Robopocalypse presents an opportunity to go back to the kind of thoughtful, but action-packed filmmaking he showed with the excellent Minority Report.

"It’s a movie about a global war between man and machine. I had a great time creating the future on 'Minority Report,' and it’s a future that is coming true faster than any of us thought it would. 'Robopocalypse' takes place in 15 or 20 years, so it’ll be another future we can relate to. It’s about the consequences of creating technologies which make our lives easier, and what happens when that technology becomes smarter than we are. It’s not the newest theme, it’s been done throughout science fiction, but it’s a theme that becomes more relevant every year."

Robopocalypse is expected to start production in early 2013 and will be released the following year on April 25th, 2014.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter