Chris Hemsworth has kind of been stuck playing everyone’s favorite ‘Himbo’ since Thor, but he’s now set to play against his type with the upcoming spinoff to Mad Max: Fury Road.
As it turns out, Hemsworth will actually be playing the part of the villain in Mad Max: Furiosa. This comes from Kyle Buchanan’s book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road (via /Film). In the book, producer P.J. Voeten shares:
“George saw Chris [Hemsworth] initially as a courtesy and then fell in love with the idea. He’s going to play totally against type, the lead baddie. Unfortunately, we’ve got to find all of our other characters that aren’t around anymore: a new Immortan, a new Bullet Farmer, and a few others.”
If anything, this isn’t the first time that Hemsworth has played a villain. He was the surprise villain of Ghostbusters 2016, and in a more serious movie, he played a Charles Manson type in Bad Times at the El Royale.
Hemsworth has certainly found a type to play over the years, but I’m interested to watch him disappear into a role—especially with a franchise like Mad Max. He doesn’t have to be Immortan Joe, but his character would have to be visually arresting just from one look.
Besides Hemsworth, Furiosa also includes Anya Taylor-Joy who will be playing a younger Furiosa (Charlize Theron). Tom Burke has also been cast in the film.
Furiosa is set to hit theaters May 24, 2024.
