Let’s get ready to rumble! Thor steps into the ring
CHRIS Hemsworth is relishing the chance to go from hunk, in the form of Marvel superhero Thor, to hulk. Hulk Hogan, to be precise.
The Australian actor, who is 38, will play the iconic American wrestler in a forthcoming film about his rise to fame.
Hogan, born Terry Bollea, was a musician who was talentspotted and instead sidetracked into the world of wrestling, thanks to his 6ft 7in frame and ripped physique.
With his 24-inch biceps, preposterous tan and blond, Zapata moustache, Hogan was the biggest — and most recognisable — figure in the sport for decades.
His 1988 match against Andre the Giant remains the biggest
wrestling match on U.S. television, with 33 million tuning in.
The movie is understood to end long before the 2015 controversy over a sex tape and the use of racial slurs — both of which Hogan has apologised for.
It will, though, give Hemsworth a chance to move beyond the beefcake and humour of the Thor films and sink his teeth into a project with genuine drama and depth. Hogan admitted to steroid use and struggled with suicidal
thoughts after his marriage to wife Linda broke down.
It is being directed by Oscarnominated Todd Phillips, who was behind the 2019 film Joker; and the script has been written by Phillips and Scott Silver — another of Joker’s writers who has been busy working on a sequel to the Oscar-winning film.
Hemsworth said: ‘ There’s a great script and there’s a great story waiting to be told. I met with Todd Phillips and we talked about this 11 years ago; and then he did Joker and now I think he’sdoing a sequel. So I know he’simmersed in a few different projects. But when he calls, I’ll be ready to go.
‘This movie is going to be a really fun project. As you can imagine, the preparation will be insanely physical. I will have to put on more size than I ever have before — even more than I put on for Thor.
‘There is the accent, as well asthe physicality and the attitude. I will also have to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of the wrestling world, which I’m really looking forward to.’
In the meantime, Hemsworth isworking on the new Mad Max film Furiosa, which is currently shooting in Australia. He callsthe experience ‘ an absolute dream’ and recalls ‘as a young kid watching those films and watching them evolve over the years and watching George Miller become one of the greatest directors on the planet’.
Hemsworth has played Thor for Marvel since 2011. The latest instalment, Thor: Love And
Thunder, comes out next week.
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