'Spiderhead': Jurnee Smollett, Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller Set To Star In Joseph Kosinski's Netflix Film

Joseph Kosinski has found his next project after “Top Gun: Maverick” and it seems he’s returning to the sci-fi genre, and he’s got company. Jurnee Smollett, Chris Hemsworth, and Miles Teller are set to star in Kosinski’s adaptation of the short story “Spiderhead” for Netflix.

READ MORE: First Look: George Clooney’s Sci-Fi ‘Midnight Sky’ With Felicity Jones & More Coming To Netflix In December

Deadline has the scoop, with a report on the casting for the latest Netflix sci-fi film which sounds a bit like “12 Monkeys” meets the vastly underrated “Equilibrium.” “Spiderhead” is based on a short story by George Saunders which appeared in the New Yorker (and you can read right here). The film adaptation is set “in the near future, when convicts are offered the chance to volunteer as medical subjects in hopes of shortening their sentences” and we follow one prisoner who “finds himself the test patient for a new pharmaceutical capable of generating feelings of love, he begins questioning the reality of his emotions and sets out to discover the truth.”

The film is written by “Zombieland” and “Deadpool” writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Though it’s hard to imagine Reese and Wernick as the right writers for the job given the tone of their past projects and the description for “Spiderhead.” Kosinski, at least, is not a stranger to the sci-fi genre, having worked on both “Oblivion” and “Tron: Legacy” two movies that look absolutely amazing, even if their scripts weren’t the best.

READ MORE: ‘The Haunting Of Bly Manor’ Trailer: Mike Flanagan Delivers A New Ghost Story For Netflix

Casting-wise, this is mighty impressive. Jurnee Smollett has given one powerhouse performance after another, with the one-two punch of “Birds of Prey” and now “Lovecraft Country.” The casting of Chris Hemsworth is interesting, though he hasn’t shown the best drama acting skills, it’s undeniable the man is very charismatic and a fantastic comedic actor, and given Reese and Wernick’s involvement, it’s not hard to think that they may take a lighter and funnier approach to the story, which would be perfect for Hemsworth.