There are a lot of things to grouse about when it comes to modern Hollywood, but one thing that annoys me more than most is how simple and boring movie titles have gotten. If it's not franchise blockbusters regurgitating subtitles or films named after their characters (even worse: those that simply go the first name route), it's a specific area of the industry with a dearth of creativity.
It's because of this dull landscape that I can be tickled by the pun-tastic name of a new submarine thriller that Chris Hemsworth just signed on to: Subversion.
Deadline has the scoop on the developing feature, which is based on a script by Black List veteran Andrew Ferguson (the Black List being an annual selection of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood). German filmmaker Patrick Vollrath, who directed Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the closed door thriller 7500, is helming the film, going from a story set miles in the air to one set deep below the sea.
Per the trade, Subversion will feature Chris Hemsworth as a Naval officer who finds himself in serious trouble when a blackmail scheme finds him taking a submarine full of "illegal cargo" into international waters. Along the way, he has to think on his feet and find ways to... subvert conflicts that threaten his mission.
Amazon MGM Studios is backing the film, and it marks a reunion between the studio and Chris Hemsworth, as the Australian actor is a key player in the upcoming Crime 101 – a sprawling, multi-narrative feature based on the Don Winslow novella with an outstanding ensemble that also includes Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Halle Berry, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Monica Barbaro, and Corey Hawkins. Co-written and directed by Bart Layton, the movie won't be arriving in theaters until 2026 but doesn't have an official release date yet.
Coming off a 2024 that saw him steal the show as Dementus in George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and voice Orion Pax a.k.a. Optimus Prime in the animated Transformers One, Hemsworth is staying quite busy. In addition to making Crime 101 and developing Subversion, he is also soon reprising some of his most popular characters. He has been confirmed as part of the ensemble that is being brought together for Avengers: Doomsday, returning as Thor for the first time since 2022's Thor: Love And Thunder, and he is also reteaming with director Sam Hargrave to play Tyler Rake again in Extraction 3.
Given Hemsworth's busy schedule, it's unclear exactly when he'll have time in his schedule to make Subversion (there is no mention of a planned start of production in the trade report), but if/when the film does get made, I am keeping my fingers tightly crossed that nobody suggests a title change.
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