Chris Hemsworth has signed up to the crime thriller Shadow Runner.

The film is inspired by the true story of an Israeli assassination team which tracked Hamas leader Mahmoud al Mabhouh to a hotel room in Dubai in order to kill him, according to Deadline.

Hemsworth would be taking on the role of the leader of a special team of operatives assigned to politically fraught missions.

Columbia Pictures president Hannah Minghella said: "We think the story is a terrific action thriller for Chris Hemsworth and we know this project is in great hands with [producers] Tripp [Vinson], Beau [Flynn] and Will [Ward] as they develop the film."

Executive producer Hossein Amini is working with Hemsworth on the upcoming Snow White and the Huntsman.

Drive scribe Amini is not yet attached as the writer of the script, though he has developed the project.

Hemsworth recently teased fans about the dynamics of the superhero ensemble in Joss Whedon's Avengers, where he will reprise his role as Thor.

"There's certainly some tension," he said. "You've got big egos on these superheroes."

The star is also currently attached to Cabin in the Woods and Red Dawn.