‘Hunger Games’ star Hemsworth takes the lead in new espionage thriller

Liam Hemsworth is prepping for action-movie stardom.

Not only is he starring opposite some of the biggest heavyweights from the golden age of punny ’80s testosterone flicks in “The Expendables 2” this summer, the newly-minted teen idol has just signed on to headline his very own espionage thriller entitled “Paranoia” for director Robert Luketic (“Killers”, “Monster-in-Law”). What’s more, A-listers Harrison Ford (not a stranger to action himself) and Gary Oldman are in “advanced talks” (according to Deadline) to join him on the project.

The producers aren’t wasting any time either, as they’re reportedly eyeing a summer start date for the film, a scheduling move that would accommodate Hemsworth’s commitment to go in front of the cameras for “The Hunger Games” sequel “Catching Fire” this fall. In lieu of the recent massive success of the first film based on the Suzanne Collins book trilogy, the actor is clearly a much bigger get than he was even a couple of months ago, so it makes sense that they’d want to get this thing in the can sooner rather than later.

Of course, a big-name cast doesn’t necessarily mean anything if the intended audience doesn’t show up; Luketic’s last film, the 2010 action-comedy “Killers” starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, crashed and burned at the box-office.

So what do you think? Does Hemsworth have the chops to carry an action film in the leading role? Sound off in the comments!

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