After the incredible success of his last Netflix movie, Extraction, it was only a matter of time until the streaming giant enlisted Chris Hemsworth for another film project. In a trailer released last week, the handsome actor is back on our screens - this time as a ruthless prison leader. A far cry from his usual gun-fighting and Thor muscle lifting characters, fans are excited to see the Australian actor in a whole new kind of role. Here's what to expect.
Based on the short story by George Saunders in The New Yorker, Spiderhead is a dystopian thriller, taking us behind the doors of a "state-of-the-art penitentiary run by brilliant visionary Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth)." Steve makes deals with prisoners by offering them a place in his institution in exchange for a shortened sentence. There might be no bars, cells, or uniforms, but the inmates are subjected to other types of discipline, which may be far more dangerous. The Netflix synopsis explains that "inmates wear a surgically attached device that administers dosages of mind-altering drugs." Used as test subjects, Steve experiments with the drugs on his inmates in whatever ways he pleases, leading to frightening results.
"Your presence in this facility, while technically a punishment, is a privilege," Hemsworth's character tells an inmate in the movie trailer before demonstrating how he can use a drug to manipulate any type of emotion in the prisoners. Intense scenes of anger, fear, pain, and laughter follow, prompting a colleague to question the institution's ethicality. "Time to worry about crossing lines was a lot of lines ago," Abnesti replies.
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If the trailer alone isn't enough to get you onboard, the film's cast and crew are top of the line. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who was also behind the camera of Top Gun: Maverick and TRON: Legacy. Additionally, the writers of Deadpool and Zombieland are responsible for this script. Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett will play two prisoners who complicate the process when they form a connection and test the limits of Abnesti's experiments. Spiderhead will be available on Netflix on June 17. Until then, stay tuned.
