The "Gattaca" and "Lord of War" collaborators have lined up a third project, reported Deadline.
Hawke will play a Las Vegas-based drone pilot, who fights the Taliban by remote control for 12-hour shifts before returning to his family.
He begins to question the methods used to perpetuate a seemingly endless war.
Hawke was seen in "The Purge", "Before Midnight" and "The Getaway" earlier in the year.
Writer-director Niccol most recently worked on the adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's "The Host".
The upcoming thriller will begin shooting in February.