Netflix and Chris Hemsworth are fast becoming a match made in film heaven. Hemsworth starred in Extraction (2020), which became one of Netflix’s most-watched original films, and also served as an executive producer on Interceptor (2022), which has also become one of the top films on Netflix. And now, Hemsworth is set to star in another upcoming film called Spiderhead, and given his previous success, we can not wait to see the movie.
Spiderhead is set in the near future, where convicts are offered the chance to shorten their sentences by volunteering to become medical subjects. The latest of such experiments is an emotion-controlling drug that can generate feelings of love. One of the subjects of the experiment, who is struggling with his past, forms a connection with another inmate and begins to question the reality of his emotions and the purpose of the emotion-controlling drug. Spiderhead is based on the short story Escape from Spiderhead written by George Saunders and first published in The New Yorker in 2010. The story was subsequently published in Saunders’ collection of short stories titled Tenth of December in 2013. In February 2019, it was announced that a film adaptation of the short story was in the works. Principal photography began in November 2020 in Queensland, Australia, and the filming locations included the Gold Coast, Darlington, and the popular tourist destination Whitsundays.
Spiderhead was directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) and was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Reese and Wernick are creative partners and have written films such as Zombieland (2009), GI Joe: Retaliation (2013)and Deadpool (2016) together. Spiderhead stars Chris Hemsworth, Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country), and Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick). Hemsworth also produced the film alongside Reese and Wernick, Eric Newman, Agnes Chu, Geneva Wasserman, Tommy Harperand Jeremy Steckler.
Can’t wait to see this sci-fi thriller? Here’s how, where, and when you can watch Spiderhead.
Is Spiderhead Streaming Online?
Yes, Spiderhead is streaming on Netflix on Friday, June 17, 2022. Do not have Netflix? Sign up for a Basic, Standard, or Premium plan for $ 9.99, $ 15.99, or $ 19.99 respectively.
Is Spiderhead Coming to Movie Theaters?
Unfortunately, it does not look like Netflix currently plans on releasing Spiderhead in theaters. So for the time being, your only option to watch the movie is to catch it on Netflix.
Netflix released the official trailer for Spiderhead on May 17, 2022. The trailer introduced us to Mr. Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth), who runs a state-of-the-art penitentiary called Spiderhead. Abnesti is a brilliant visionary who experiments on his subjects with mind-altering drugs. Abnesti’s purpose is to explore the unknown in science by any means necessary. Jeff (Miles Teller) is one of the subjects of his latest experiment and he is administered a new drug called N-40 alongside the other inmate volunteers. The effects of this drug range from kissing, laughing, and even having sex. But for some others, the effects are more intense. There’s punching and screaming, and we’re even shown blood splatter on the wall, so maybe the drug isn’t so harmless after all.
What Is Spiderhead About?
The official synopsis for Spiderhead as it reads on Netflix says,
Two inmates (Miles Teller & Jurnee Smollett) form a connection while grappling with their pasts in a state-of-the-art penitentiary run by a brilliant visionary (Chris Hemsworth) who experiments on his subjects with mind-altering drugs. Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick, Tron: Legacy). Based on The New Yorker short story, “Escape From Spiderhead,” by George Saunders.
As Mr. Abnesti puts it in the trailer, “the time to worry about crossing the line was a lot of lines ago.”
More Movies Like Spiderhead That You Can Watch Now
Are you looking for more futuristic prison movies, movies about mind-altering drugs, or a combination of both? We’ve got you. Here are some more films that you can check out.
The Platform (2019): The Platform is a science fiction horror film co-written by David Desola and Pedro Rivero and directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. Like Spiderhead, The Platform is set in a unique penitentiary only this time, the prison is a large vertical prison with one cell per level containing two inmates. The residents are fed via a food platform that drops downward, initially filled with food on the top floor but gradually reducing as the food descends through the tower’s levels. Of course, this system causes those on the top levels to eat as much as they can while those on the ground level get almost nothing, causing conflict in the prison. The Platform premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it won the People’s Choice Award for Midnight Madness. The film stars Iván Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan, Alexandra Masangkayand Emilio Buale Coka. You can stream The Platform on Netflix.
Synchronic (2019): Written by Justin Benson and directed by Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Synchronic tells the story of two paramedics whose lives are ripped apart after they encounter a series of deaths linked to a new designer drug that has otherworldly effects. Like Spiderhead, Synchronic dives into the effects of mind-altering drugs and how easily they can blur the lines between what is real and what is not. The film stars Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, Ally Ioannidesand Katie Aselton. Synchronic is available for streaming on Netflix.
Twelve Monkeys (1995): Twelve Monkeys is a science fiction film about a convict, who volunteers for a mission where he has to travel back in time to gather information and find out the main reason behind a man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population. Like Spiderhead, Twelve Monkeys is about a prison inmate who volunteers for a dangerous mission. Twelve Monkeys was inspired by Chris Marker‘s 1962 short film called La Jetée. The film was written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples and directed by Terry Gilliam. 12 Monkeys stars Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Plummer, and David Morse. Twelve Monkeys is available for streaming on Starz.