Ford Dives Into Sub Drama

October 3 -- Harrison Ford hasn't had a palpable action hit since 1997's Air Force One, in which he battled Russians. Now he's going to play one.

The 58-year-old actor is eyeing his first submarine drama with K-19, in which he'd play a Russian sub captain.

Wait, wait, Indiana Jones and Han Solo with a Russian accent? Well, Ford's about as likely to adopt a foreign accent as was Sean Connery in The Hunt for Red October — in other words, not at all.

Red October, of course, was the first Jack Ryan film, which starred Alec Baldwin as the Tom Clancy hero. Perhaps Ford, who bailed on the Jack Ryan franchise to do this new film, always regretted not having had the chance to "Dive! Dive! Dive!"

The plot of K-19 would have Ford heroically trying to stop a nuclear meltdown aboard his sub. Unlike the modest summer submarine hit U-571, which was set during World War II, K-19's action is in the here and now.

The title K-19 recalls a real-life doomed Russian sub, the Kursk, which sank this summer, sending more than 100 men to their deaths.

It's the first deal for the superstar since signing with United Talent Agency after years of relying on just his manager, Patricia McQueeney. Ford is expected to get his now-usual $20 million for the film.

Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Strange Days) will direct for Intermedia Films.

Reuters/Variety contributed to this story.