Chris Hemsworth is no stranger to high-speed, high-octane action, having built his career around physically demanding, stunt-heavy blockbuster roles. He further cemented his action credentials when he threw himself into the chaotic world of George Miller’s legendary wasteland to unleash hell as the unhinged warlord and deeply threatening antagonist, Dementus, in the 2024 film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Two years later, the actor has lined up another adrenaline-fueled desert epic, developed as a starring vehicle for the actor, who will be back in the driver’s seat again, putting pedal to the metal as he races onto the real-life Fury Road.
Racing movies have been big business in Hollywood for many years, recently underscored by the unprecedented global success of Apple’s wildly ambitious F1: The Movie, which shattered box office records by pulling in more than $634 million worldwide and rising through the ranks to become the highest-grossing live-action sports film of all time (and the biggest financial hit of Brad Pitt’s career). Hemsworth also found success in the sub-genre, starring in the 2013 biographical sports film Rush, centering on the rivalry between two Formula One drivers. The movie was a massive critical success and achieved steady profitability, widely celebrated for its intense racing sequences. Now Hemsworth is gearing up for another lap around the track.
Chris Hemsworth as British F1 driver James Hunt in RushUniversal Pictures
His next racing movie will be a little closer to home, as he will be producing and leading a narrative feature about Australia’s legendary Tatts Finke Desert Race. According to Deadline, Hemsworth’s Wild State media company, which the actor co-founded in 2022 with producer Ben Grayson, has secured an exclusive partnership with the organizers of the annual motorsport event to develop various projects based on the grueling two-day, off-road Outback challenge – one being the Hemsworth headliner. The film is reportedly in early development with Concrete Cowboy duo Ricky Staub and Dan Walser onboard to pen the script.
The official Tatts Finke Desert Race website describes the event as “an off-road, multi-terrain, two-day race for bikes, cars and buggies through desert country, from Alice Springs to the small Aputula (Finke) community.” The race is held annually over the King’s Birthday long weekend in June, with this year’s challenge marking 50 years since the inaugural 1976 “There and Back” run. In the lead up to the golden anniversary, Hemsworth announced his company’s partnership and explained why he wanted to get involved:
“Off-road racing has been a passion in my family for a long time and we at Wild State are thrilled to partner with the Tatts Finke Desert Race on the eve of its 50th anniversary and bring this epic competition to a global audience.”
The deal also encompasses unscripted content, with Wild State also said to be producing a docuseries to capture the madness of the race, teaming up with freestyle motocross legend Robbie Maddison to chronicle his journey. The two projects join a diverse slate at the production company, which spans both blockbusters and documentaries, including the Disney+ series Limitless, Netflix’s Extraction franchise, and the high-profile Amazon feature Crime 101, also starring Hemsworth, which was hailed “the first great movie of 2026.”
Birthdate
August 11, 1983
Birthplace
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia