Chiklis signs on for 'Eagle Eye' role

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Hollywood actor Michael Chiklis has signed on for a role in "Eagle Eye," a thriller starring Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson and Shia LaBeouf.

The film is helmed by D.J. Caruso, who previously directed several episodes of Chiklis' gritty TV cop drama "The Shield."

Chiklis, who has also starred in two "Fantastic Four" flicks, will play the U.S. secretary of defense in "Eagle Eye," The Hollywood Reporter said.

LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan play ordinary people framed as terrorists and forced to become members of a cell with plans to carry out a political assassination, the entertainment industry trade paper said.

The film, which also co-stars Anthony Azizi and Anthony Mackie, has resumed shooting after taking a break for the holidays.

It is set to wrap production next month.