BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. —  After a failed run for president, Fred Thompson is getting back to pretending to be commander in chief.

Hollywood's high-powered William Morris Agency announced this week that it has signed the actor/politician, signaling a return to the screen for the former senator from Tennessee.

Thompson most recently appeared as grizzled district attorney Arthur Branch on "Law & Order" and has played authority figures in the films "The Hunt For Red October," "Die Hard II" and "In the Line of Fire."

Thompson dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Jan. 22.