Although Chris Hemsworth is arguably still best known for playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s certainly done a good job of boarding other memorable projects over the last decade. This includes starring as mercenary Tyler Rake in the Netflix action flick Extraction, which ended up becoming the streaming service’s most-watched original movie yet.
While Chris Hemsworth was already staying in business with Netflix through the upcoming Hulk Hogan biopic, word’s come in that he’ll also be churning out more action for the streaming giant. Hemsworth has signed onto Spiderhead, a sci-fi flick that’s being directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski and penned by Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The movie is based on the same-named short story by George Saunders.
According to Deadline, Chris Hemsworth will be joined by Whiplash’s Miles Teller (who previously worked with Joseph Kosinski on Top Gun: Maverick) and Birds of Prey’s Jurnee Smollett on Spiderhead, which is set in the near future, when convicts are offered the opportunity to shorten their sentences by becoming medical test subjects. The project will specifically focus on two prisoners who are exposed to emotional-altering drugs in a program overseen by a “brilliant visionary,” with the drugs forcing them to confront their pasts.
It’s unclear where Spiderhead will fall in Chris Hemsworth’s body of upcoming work. I suspect the Hulk Hogan biopic will arrive on Netflix before Spiderhead, but let’s not forget that Hemsworth will also be working on Thor: Love and Thunder, which is currently slated for February 11, 2022. However, it’s also noted in Deadline’s article that this will be Joseph Kosinski’s next movie, perhaps indicating we could seen it sooner rather than later.
Wherever Spiderhead falls on the production schedule, considering the body of talent involved, this clearly could end up being one of Netflix’s bigger cinematic offerings. Who knows, perhaps it could even catch more steam than Extraction did and become Netflix’s most new most-watched original movie yet. To accomplish that though, over 99 million households would need to watch Spiderhead within the first four weeks of its release; a hefty goal.
It’s also worth mentioning that in addition to the aforementioned movies, Chris Hemsworth’s time as Tyler Rake isn’t over. Shortly after Extraction was made available to the masses, it was reported that Netflix brought back Joe Russo to pen a sequel, with the intention being for both Hemsworth and director Sam Graves to return too. That said, Extraction 2 is still in the planning stages, so it’s a good bet that Spiderhead will arrive before that follow-up adventure.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates concerning Spiderhead’s development, as well as news about Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller and June Smollett’s other professional endeavors. For now, learn what Netflix will be releasing next month with our handy lineup.
