Liam Neeson to Portray Admiral Shane in Peter Berg’s ‘Battleship’

It has been confirmed that Academy Award-nominated actor Liam Neeson has joined the cast of Peter Berg’s action-adventure film, Battleship, which is scheduled to hit theaters May 18, 2012. Neeson joins fashion model Brooklyn Decker, Friday Night Lights’ Taylor Kitsch, recording artist Rihanna, and True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgard as a cast member in the high-concept drama.

According to Entertainment Weekly, he will portray the role of Admiral Shane, who is the father-in-law of Kitsch’s character, Naval officer Hopper. Admiral Shane is also the father of Decker’s character, Sam, while Commanding Officer Stone of the USS Samson, played by Skarsgard, is Hopper’s older brother.

Lieutenant Raikes, played by Rihanna, is unrelated to the other primary characters in the film, but she is a crew mate who serves as a weapons specialist. Battleship’s production team consists of Berg, Sarah Aubrey, Brian Goldner, Bennett Schneir, and Scott Stuber.

The screenplay was written by the team of Jon and Erich Hoeber, while Universal Studios representatives Jeffrey Kirschenbaum and Anikah McLaren are overseeing the project on behalf of the company, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In related news, Neeson, 58, is currently involved in negotiations with The A-Team director Joe Carnahan to star in a man vs. nature survival drama entitled The Grey.