Oscar winner Ben Kingsley is to appear in the big screen adaptation of Thunderbirds.

Kingsley, who won an Academy award for Gandhi and a nomination for his role in Sexy Beast, is to star as Hood, the film's evil master criminal.

The film which is being made by Universal and Working Title, the British company responsible for Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary, is based around the Tracy family and their top-secret International Rescue organisation. It is a live-action version of the 1960s puppet-based television classic, and will also star Bill Paxton as Jeff Tracy, father of the brood.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the plot of the picture involves Kingsley's character invading Tracy Island, home of International Rescue, in order to use the Thunderbirds (the family's high-tech vehicles) for his own dastardly plans.