Jeremy Renner is set to star in 'King of Heists'.

The Oscar-nominated director will take a leading role in the adaptation of J. North Conway's non-fiction book of the same name, which will be scripted by Will Staples.

The movie tells the tale of George Leslie, a mild-mannered man who went to New York and put together a gang who mastermind the audacious theft of $3 million in cash from the Manhattan Savings Institution in 1878.

Jeremy will take the role of George, with Don Handfield and Teddy Schwarzman producing, Deadline.com confirms.

No director has yet been confirmed for the crime thriller.

Jeremy has a number of action roles set to hit the screen in the coming months, including 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' with Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg and dark fairytale adaptation 'Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters' alongside British beauty Gemma Arterton.

He also has leading parts in 'The Avengers' as Hawkeye and 'The Bourne Legacy'.