‘Mad Max: Furiosa’ producer teases Chris Hemsworth’s villainous turn

Thanks to his decade-long stint as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor, Chris Hemsworth has become one of the most recognizable, popular, and highest-paid stars in Hollywood.

As a result, he’s able to pick and choose whatever roles he wants, and for the most part they’ve tended to lean on his impossibly handsome visage and chiseled physique. He may have played a dangerous cult leader in Bad Times at the El Royale, but he did so with his shirt wide open.

He also lost a ton of weight for Ron Howard’s nautical drama In the Heart of the Sea, but nobody saw it. He gave a career-best turn as racing driver James Hunt in Rush, but charm and charisma was a key part of the role. In short, Hemsworth is always gonna Hemsworth regardless of where he turns up… until Mad Max: Furiosa, that is.

It’s been heavily rumored that the MCU veteran would play the lead villain in the post-apocalyptic prequel, and producer P. J. Voeten has now confirmed it, as per SlashFilm.

“George saw Chris 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.”

There’s even been talk Hemsworth will embody someone named Dr. Dementus, and seeing him go all-in to the same extent as previous big bads of the Mad Max universe is a seriously enticing prospect.