Michael Fassbender could be returning to his roots to star as legendary Celtic warrior Cuchulain in Irish Myths.

The Shame star, who has Irish and German parents, is set to take the lead role of the hero, known as the hound of Ulster, in the upcoming epic adventure which he is developing with Public Enemies screenwriter Ronan Bennett, reported Screen Daily.

The mythological character of Cuchulain - a man with semi-divine ancestry who possesses superhuman fighting skills - appears in the Ulster Cycle, a series of epic old Irish legends that first appeared in the 8th century.

The movie is still in the early stages.

Michael, who has won a number of awards for his performance in Steve McQueen's Shame, is set to reunite with the filmmaker for the slavery-focused period drama Twelve Years A Slave and may team up again with Prometheus director Ridley Scott for his adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy screenplay The Counselor.

The actor - currently seen on screens in A Dangerous Method and Haywire - is also expected to reprise his role as Magneto in the X-Men: First Class sequel opposite James McAvoy.