The Men Of Hollywood

Taylor Kitsch, who is starring in "John Carter of Mars," is moving to another sci-fi tentpole, coming on board to star in "Battleship," Universal's adaptation of the Hasbro board game.

Pete Berg is directing the action adventure movie, whose story has drawn heat from some quarters for adding an "alien invasion" element to what has been traditionally seen as a grounded Naval game.

The script, by Jon and Erich Hoeber, sees an international fleet come together to battle a water-bound armada of otherworldly origin.

Throughout the awards season, Jeremy Renner, riding high off of "The Hurt Locker" momentum, had been in the running for the role but had to decide between this movie and Paul Thomas Anderson's latest drama, with scheduling conflicts preventing his involvement in both.

For Kitsch, the role continues his rising status. The actor has gone from playing blink-and-you-missed-it parts in "Snakes on a Plane" to being a key actor in TV's "Friday Night Lights" to playing superhero Gambit in "Wolverine." He is currently shooting "Mars," where he plays the title character of the Edgar Rice Burroughs book series.

In "Battleship," Kitsch is playing a Naval commander named Alex Hopper, described as "wildly spirited" and "a great seaman but a lousy politician."

Other key roles in the film include the female lead as well as a Japanese commander.

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