Spiderhead, the upcoming science fiction thriller film by director Joseph Kosinski, takes place in a dystopian future where humans are sent to live in an isolated high-security prison known as Spiderhead that is cut off from the rest of the world and located on an island surrounded by shark-infested waters. The inmates are forced to participate in experiments conducted by Dr. Gene Porter (Miles Teller), who has his own ulterior motives behind the horrific tests he performs on his test subjects, including Chris (Chris Hemsworth). In this first-look trailer, we see Chris struggle to escape Dr. Get Ready for Spiderhead: Netflix’s Upcoming Thriller
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A Look at the Story
George Saunders is no stranger to Hollywood. His story Congratulations, by the Way was adapted into a successful Pixar short, and his 2015 novella Lincoln in the Bardo earned him a spot on last year’s prestigious Man Booker Prize longlist. Now Saunders’ dystopian short story Escape from Spiderhead is getting its own big-screen treatment as director Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) has just landed it at Netflix with a twist. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fletch Won scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have adapted Spiderhead for a new film called Spiderhead starring Chris Hemsworth with Kosinski attached to direct.
A look at Production
According to Variety, Spiderhead is slated to begin production sometime in 2019. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who wrote both Deadpool movies (but not Deadpool 2), will write and produce. The film is being produced by Brad Weston’s Makeready, as well as Kevin Turen at Arcadiy Golubovich’s AGI Entertainment Media & Management Company. If it hits its 2019 target date, it would end up being one of several ambitious feature films hitting theaters next year alongside Warner Bros.’ Joker origin story and Sony’s Uncharted adaptation.
A look at Cast
Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, and Jurnee Smollett are in talks to star in upcoming psychological thriller film Spiderhead. Teller will play Eddie Collins, a man convicted of murder who is given a choice by The Man between death or participation in a mental health experiment. Joseph Kosinski will direct from a screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool). Also Read: Chris Hemsworth Joins This Bad Boys Reboot? A Look at Cast
A look at Awards
The film has been nominated in multiple categories including Best Original Score at both 2017 Golden Globe Awards and 2018 Grammy Awards. It was also nominated at both Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and MTV Movie & TV Awards in categories of Best Science Fiction Film, Best Sci-Fi/Horror Actor for Miles Teller, and Best On-Screen Transformation for Chris Hemsworth. For writing, it was nominated at 2018 Writers Guild of America Award under category of Original Screenplay.
Spiderhead is one of 2017 Oscar Nominees considered to be a contender which will be competing against other upcoming Oscar films like Bright, American Made, and so on. The film is scheduled to release worldwide by end of August with Netflix planning a limited theatrical run along with their online premiere.
About Director Joseph Kosinski
Joseph Kosinski has directed only one film—the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Oblivion—but that hasn’t stopped him from landing yet another directorial gig. The new film, based on George Saunders’ dystopian short story Escape from Spiderhead, features a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who also wrote Deadpool (and who may be working on a sequel). The film stars Chris Hemsworth as an inmate in a high-tech prison facility overseen by Jurnee Smollett. Miles Teller will play an interrogator in charge of extracting information from inmates.
About Writer Rhett Reese
Rhett Reese is a screenwriter best known for his work on such films as Zombieland, and Good Guys Wear Black. He has also done script work on other successful films such as Frozen and G.I. Joe Retaliation. Writer Paul Wernick is best known for his part in writing Deadpool, which was released in 2016 to high praise from critics and fans alike. Spiderhead will be his first attempt at directing a feature film but not his first time behind a camera having directed several documentaries including some about Clint Eastwood during his career.
About Writer Paul Wernick
Paul Wernick is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known as one of the screenwriters behind Zombieland, Deadpool, and Ant-Man. He also co-wrote Alien: Covenant alongside longtime collaborator Rhett Reese and was a former writer on NBC’s spy sitcom The Office. Wernick has been nominated for two Academy Awards along with Rhett Reese in 2009 for Best Adapted Screenplay of Zombieland, which they ultimately lost to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. They were nominated again in 2010 for Best Original Screenplay of Deadpool and were once again beaten by David Seidler who wrote The King’s Speech.
What is Spiderhead movie about?
Based on George Saunders’s short story, Escape from Spiderhead,is about a new drug called NZT-48, which boosts intelligence and mental agility but causes headaches and other severe side effects. Owen is an ex-con who gets in trouble with his family after losing his job and money to gambling. When he comes across NZT-48, he uses it to get back at those who wronged him. After testing positive for having taken an illegal substance and getting arrested again, Owen is sentenced to time in a private prison known as Spiderhead where inmates are experimented on with drugs.
When was escape from Spiderhead?
The movie is set in a dystopian near-future where substance abuse and brainwashing have replaced rehabilitation as ways to treat mental illness. The addicts are kept imprisoned on an island where they’re subjected to horrific medical experiments designed to simulate drug highs, and given a steady diet of recreational drugs. Escape from Spiderhead tells the story of one such prisoner, Marlon James (Miles Teller), who becomes obsessed with liberating himself and his fellow inmates, including his addict brother Charlie (Chris Hemsworth). James employs gangster Charlemagne L’Homme Lip (Rob Delaney) to help him break out of jail by bringing him an experimental drug called SPIDERHEAD, which causes users to hallucinate vividly while losing all sense of morality.
Is there gonna be an extraction 2?
One of the most common criticisms levied against science fiction is that it often explores dystopias, not utopias. And yet, one of sci-fi’s most impactful stories comes from an equally acclaimed author who has written not one but two great dystopian works. After a decade in Hollywood and many canceled projects behind him, Rhett Reese seems to have found a project that just might make his career as he is set to direct Spiderhead (previously known as Extraction) on his first major feature film. So what makes Rhett Reese so special?
How old is Chris Hemsworth?
Chris Hemsworth is 32 years old. In 2007, Chris played Thor in ‘Thor’ where he was also nominated for Best Male Breakthrough Performance at 15th Empire Awards. Since then, he had a cameo role in 2008 ‘Tropic Thunder’ alongside Ben Stiller and Jack Black. Then, he appeared in two sequels to ‘Thor’, 2013’s ‘Thor: The Dark World’ and 2017’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’. He reprised his role as George Kirk in 2016’s blockbuster film based on Star Trek franchise.
What happens in Escape from Spiderhead?
On Oct. 23, 2002, three inmates—Paul, Patrick and Ernest—are forcibly transferred to a remote underground location named Spiderhead. The guards inform them that they’re being relocated because of overcrowding at their previous facility. Once at Spiderhead, they find out that they will be remaining there indefinitely without any outside contact. They also learn that although they are unable to leave or communicate with anyone from their former lives, those people remain fully aware of their presence inside of the facility and can hear them when they call out.
