Chris Hemsworth messes with Miles Teller’s mind in Netflix’s Spiderhead trailer
Jurnee Smollett joins Hemsworth and Teller in the "darkly funny psychological thriller"
Aux News Spiderhead
In a role that may hit too close to home, Chris Hemsworth plays a visionary tech mogul conducting some ethically dubious experiments in the trailer for Netflix’s “darkly funny psychological thriller” Spiderhead.
Based on the New Yorker short story “Escape from Spiderhead” by George Saunders (peep the inmate reading Saunders’ short story collection Tenth of December in the trailer), the film follows Jeff (Miles Teller), an inmate at a state-of-the-art penitentiary.
According to Spiderhead’s synopsis, the inmates in this remote facility have unprecedented freedoms–up to a certain point. In exchange, they volunteer to wear a surgically attached device that administers mind-altering substances under the observation of Steve Abnesti (Hemsworth).
Jeff’s limited freedoms are further compromised when he begins to bond with another inmate (Jurnee Smollet), and Abnesti’s trials “start to push the limits of free will altogether.” As Hemsworth glibly states in the trailer: “The time to worry about crossing lines was a lot of lines ago.”
It’s always good to see Hemsworth switch gears from rugged action hero into morally questionable charismatic leader mode (see also: his hypnotizing cult leader in Bad Times At The El Royale). The actor is also listed as a producer on the project, alongside writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool, Zombieland) as well as Eric Newman, Geneva Wasserman, Oren Katzeff, and Tommy Harper. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick). The ensemble cast also includes Mark Paguio, Tess Haubrich, Angie Milliken, and Stephen Tongun.
Kosnicki teased the “really entertaining” dynamic between Hemsworth and Teller in an interview for Entertainment Weekly, saying that the prisoner “sort of forms a friendship with” his mysterious jailor. “I wanted 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,” he explained.
Spiderhead streams on Netflix June 17.
26 Comments
Cue 30 commenters who all think they’re the first person to say that Miles Teller has a punchable face.
I don’t want to claim to be the first, but I have been pushing the Miles Teller=Punchable Face narrative since Whiplash
That criticism pales next to his performance in “The Offer”, in which he again displays the range of a block of wood. I want to punch his management in the face.
Kosinski actually does tend to get the most out of Teller.The guy’s talented – he just *openly* doesn’t give a shit about the stuff he does for a paycheck.(The first “OHEMGEE he’s an asshole!!!!” controversy was a round table where he mentioned that his agent made him take the Divergent role for exposure)
Netflix stuff gives me an uncanny AI-generated vibe now. There’s an intriguing marketable surface but a pervasive feeling of emptiness under it all. It’s like an unthinking mechanical approximation of media.
If feels like they mixed that show they did a few years back with Jonah Hill(which I cant even bother to look up the name of) mixed with maybe Ex Machina. Or Honestly just a Black Mirror episode expanded to movie length(I assume this is a movie and not a 6 part mini series)
Maniac, which was pretty good in fact. But I don’t need t see it again.
I’m just surprised this is the first time you’re noticing it.
Their comedies and romance movies increasingly look like moving stock photos
Netflix stuff gives me an uncanny AI-generated vibe now. There’s an intriguing marketable surface but a pervasive feeling of emptiness under it all. It’s like an unthinking mechanical approximation of media.Absolutely bang-on, dead-accurate take. Been thinking that for years. You just know it’s algorithm-driven, because if there’s one thing silicon valley techbros hate its organic imagination and creativity, which script notes passed down from whatever cold, unfeeling metrics gods that run the joint. It doesn’t feel like you’re watching a real movie or TV when that big red N is in the top-left corner. A Netflix Original is to TV shows and movies what vat-grown meat is to a steak.
someone needs to tell my latest man-crush NOT to do roles where he doesn’t have an Australian accent LOL
Like that hacker movie Blackhat. His accent was so bad lmao.
I actually think this is an improvement over past efforts for Hemsworth. Not perfect, but better than some of his accent work from a few years ago.
“We need a money maker like Sony. What’s that movie that made all the money?”“Spider-Man”“That’s it! Make me a Spider-Man!”“We can’t. They own the rights.”“Fuck their rights. We can work this out. Why do the kids like Spider-Man? What’s he got?”“Sir, he’s a kid with the powers of a spider.”“Spider, eh? That’s the secret! Kids like spiders!”“Sir, I am not sure…”“Shut up. Ok, we can’t use Spider-Man. How Spider-Woman?”“Sir, no.”“Hmmm….damn #meTooers. Ok, how about non-genfder. Like, say, body part?” “Sir?”“Spider-hands! Spider-feet! Spider….wait, I got it. Spiderhead! He’s got a head like a spider! With super powers! And everyone has a head, so they can relate!:“Uhhhh.”“Get me another super hero actor. We’ll give him some role in the film, make it so those superhero movie nerds buy tickets to see the guy. Get a british guy.”“Sir, we don’t have any British actor super-heroes. Well, the guy who played Spider-Man is British, but….can’t use him.”“Well what do you have?”“There’s…an Australian?”“That works. Get him.”And so it begins again……
Either that, or it’s based on a short story with the same title that’s linked right at the top of the article. One of the two.
You know how people have an ear for dialogue? You don’t.
I also don’t have an ear for music!
I hope this took you less than 30 seconds to write out…
This must be that anti-comedy I’ve been hearing so much about. Gotta say, doesn’t seem worth the effort.
To be fair, there’s loads of other British superhero actors.Henry Cavill, Robert Pattinson, Hayley Atwell, Christian Bale, Gemma Chan, Andrew Garfield, Ioan Gruffudd and Jamie Bell, to stretch a point…
I love George Saunders, and the collection this story is featured in is my favorite of his work, so here’s hoping they do a good job adapting it.
“In a role that may hit too close to home, Chris Hemsworth plays a visionary tech mogul conducting some ethically dubious experiments”
Hits too close to home because Hemsworth is known for…his dubious ethics while performing his experiments?
Is he the most overrated actor working today? Or is it Drew Barrymore?
This movie is blowing my mind. Its stars the man with the most punchable face in the world and the man with the most kissable face!! I am so confused
shorty spinning a web on me the way she gives me that spiderhead.
I saw the trailer for this. Looks like it might be ok, but it’s nothing I’m going out of my way for. Maybe I’ll check it out when it gets to stream– oh, hey, I guess those guys do know what they’re doing.