When the world was introduced to Chris Hemsworth in his breakout role as Thor in the self-titled film from 2011, the actor was mainly given the opportunity to show off his chiseled physique and spout Shakespearean-esque dialogue (with terribly bleached eyebrows). That is to say, he wasn’t given the opportunity to really show what he is capable of. However, over the years, Hemsworth has turned into one of the best comedic actors around, with impeccable timing to go along with those aforementioned abs. And for his next project, he’s putting that to test alongside one of the biggest names in comedy right now — Tiffany Haddish.
According to Deadline, Hemsworth and Haddish (that really does sound like the title of a ‘70s detective procedural series, doesn’t it?) are set to star in the upcoming film “Down Under Cover.” The film is a “buddy cop” story that follows an undercover detective (Hemsworth) that is investigating a series of heists that seem to be perpetrated by a group of Australian male strippers (natch). And as with any good buddy cop film, he must team up with a wild card partner (Haddish) to help solve the crimes.
“Down Under Cover” is being described as a film in the same vein as “48 Hrs,” “Rush Hour,” and “The Heat.” If that’s the case, we can hope that they won’t try to hamstring the film with a PG-13 rating.
As mentioned, Hemsworth is no stranger to comedy, with scene-stealing performances in “Vacation” and “Ghostbusters” (both not-great reboots, but featuring quality Hemsworth). He’s also flexed his comedic chops in his most recent appearances as Thor in ‘Ragnarok,’ ‘Infinity War,’ and ‘Endgame.’ Later this year, he’ll also team up with a female partner for the reboot “Men in Black: International.” Clearly, we know which direction the actor wants to take his career moving forward.
Haddish is probably best known for “Girls Trip,” but has shown up in tons of films and TV series since that role. The stand-up comedian is a polarizing figure in film, with many people absolutely adoring her, with others finding her a bit…much. Either way, teaming with Hemsworth will open her up to a whole new audience.
“Down Under Cover” is without a director at the moment, and no release date is set. The film will be sold to distributors during the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.