(Photo: Getty Images)

If Liam Neeson can reinvent himself as an action hero, why can't Emma Thompson? Variety brings news that the Oscar-winning actress has signed up to star in The Fisherwoman, an action thriller set in snowy Minnesota.

Thompson will played a widowed fisherwoman who stumbles upon the kidnapping of a teenager and becomes his only hope of survival. The film is being directed by Bryan Kirk, whose previous credits include episodes of BBC America's Luther, Game of Thrones, and The Tudors.

The movie's producer Jon Berg offered a little more insight into the eponymous fisherwoman, saying: "Dame Emma Thompson is a phenomenally talented artist and the perfect incarnation of our film’s titular character. We couldn’t be more honored and excited to see her embody a character that shares her unique strength, grit and intelligence."

The Fisherwoman is definitely a change of pace for Thompson, who has recently scored Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, a dark comedy in which she plays a middle-aged woman who hires a sex worker. We've also just seen her as the formidable Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical, which hit theaters in December.

You can check out a classic Dame Emma moment from The Graham Norton Show below.

Will you be keeping an eye out for The Fisherwoman?