Who will star opposite Chris Hemsworth in Amazon MGM‘s upcoming “Subversion,” playfully dubbed by the studio as “”Die Hard” on a submarine”? THR reports that Lily James, ahem, joins the crew of the aquatic thriller to be directed by Patrick Vollrath and written by Andrew Ferguson.
Hemsworth stars in “Subversion” as a once-promising naval commander blackmailed by a cartel-like organization to carry illegal cargo by sub across international waters. James will play a Coast Guard officer hot on the Hemsworth’s tail as the sub must outmaneuver blockades and threats both inside and out. Sound fun? Well, it’s right on Vollrath’s alley: the German director made his feature debut with a similar vehicular thriller, 2019’s “7500” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura produces the pic with executive producers Stephen Shafer and Greg Cohen via di Bonaventura Pictures. Shooting on “Subversion” begins this Fall in Australia.
“Subversion” is another action thriller for James, who’s in that phase of her career. She stars in Jaume Collet-Serra‘s upcoming “Cliffhanger” remake, as well as Takashi Miike‘s “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo“ for NEON. Other recent work for James includes “Relay” with Riz Ahmed, which just had its debut at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and hits theaters on August 22. James also stars as Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd in “Swiped,” which has its world premiere at TIFF in September; James also produces that pic via her Parados Pictures banner.
As for Hemsworth, he has “Avengers: Doomsday” on the horizon, as well as “Crime 101,” also due in theaters next year.
Stay tuned for more details on “Subversive,” which should get a 2026 theatrical release.
