Liam Neeson has joined the cast of Peter Berg’s Battleship that also includes Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker, and Rihanna.   According to Variety, Neeson plays Admiral Shane while Decker is his daughter and Kitsch will take on the role of his future son-in-law.  Neeson played Hannibal Smith in this summer's failed A-Team movie, but also starred in Taken, the surprise action movie hit of 2009.

Powerful alien forces provide the adversaries in Battleship, which is based on the Hasbro game.  Principal photography began today for the film, which is a pricy tentpole release for Universal and is set to debut in theaters on May 18th, 2012 (see “Universal Bets the Farm on Battleship”).

In other casting news Michael Caine is now attached to Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, the Jules Verne-based New Line sequel to the 3-D Journey to the Center of the Earth.  Caine joins a cast that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Josh Hutcherson.  Caine will play Hutcherson’s grandfather in this family film, which according to The Hollywood Reporter, will require Caine to be in full action mode.