With a title like Spiderhead, many fans of Chris Hemsworth are bound to be a little confused with the Thor star’s newest Netflix feature film. Is it a Marvel based project? Will we see Spider-Man and Thor’s relationship come to a head and turn against one another? The answer to both of these questions is a resounding no. Instead, the sci-fi movie that debuts on the streamer June 17, will see Hemsworth as a scientist with the best intentions even if his experiments sometimes prove to have terrible consequences. And with some newly released photos combined with an interview courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, we’re getting a better idea of how the movie is shaping up.
Based on a 2010 New Yorker short story by George Saunders, the Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick adapted Spiderhead centers around scientist Steve Abnesti (Hemsworth), a brilliant mind who’s hoping to change lives by testing his concoctions on inmates at the titular top-tier penitentiary in the middle of nowhere. The drugs are intended to shift the emotional and physical behavior of the prisoners positively, but sometimes the tests completely backfire, causing chaos for all involved. Starring alongside Hemsworth in the Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Top Gun: Maverick) directed film is a cast that includes Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett, BeBe Bettencourt, Tess Haubrich, Angie Milliken, Stephen Tongun, Mark Paguio, Sam Delich, and Joey Vierira.
Our first look photos reveal several shots from the film including a pensive Abnesti looking off into the distance perhaps questioning some of the choices that he’s made along the way. Another displays Abnesti steering a speedboat with a very serious look on his face. In the back of the tiny vessel, we see two buff redheads (presumably guards) with Teller’s character, Jeff blindfolded and sitting in between them. An inmate at the prison, Teller explains that Jeff “works closely with, and sort of forms a friendship with, Abnesti.” Speaking to the relationship between the locked up Jeff and the scientist, Teller says that his goal was to “portray that sense of trust in the beginning to help show that there’s a real earnestness and sincerity on Abnesti’s part toward helping everybody.”
Along with having a close relationship with Hemsworth’s Abnesti, Teller’s Jeff also forms a tight bond with Smollett’s character, Lizzy. Another inmate test subject, Kosinski tells EW that Lizzy “has a more mysterious past.” Although she finds herself connecting with the “heart on his sleeve” Jeff, the director says that Lizzy “hides her pain with a cheerful persona.” The closeness between the two is apparent in the last of the first look images. Hands clasped together, the duo are seated at a table engaging in what looks to be a serious and heartfelt discussion.
With an intriguing storyline filled with complex characters and a soundtrack packed with jams including Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams,” Spiderhead is sure to keep us on the edge of our seats when it lands on Netflix June 17. Check out the other image below:
