Chris Hemsworth Returns to the Fast Lane with His First High-Octane Racing Thriller Since Rush

Chris Hemsworth can’t seem to stay away from high-octane vehicles. This time, though, he’s swapping the Formula 1 tracks of Rush for something a lot dustier and far less glamorous: the infamous Tatts Finke Desert Race in Australia. Honestly, if there’s one motorsport event where you wouldn’t mind seeing Thor eat a mouthful of sand, it’s this one.

The Big Deal

Here’s what’s happening: Hemsworth and his producing partner Ben Grayson – the duo behind Wild State media – have signed up with the powers that be at the Tatts Finke Desert Race. It’s an exclusive partnership, apparently, and they’re not faffing about. The idea is to bring the Finke to the big screen in a way it’s never been seen before.

The centrepiece is a narrative feature film that’s now in the early scripting stage, and you guessed it: Hemsworth is in the driver’s seat. The script is being hammered out by Ricky Staub and Dan Walser, who will probably spend half their writing sessions Googling how anyone survives this race at all. There’s also a slate of unscripted content on the cards, including a project following Robbie Maddison (yes, that Robbie Maddison from the freestyle motocross circuit) as he attempts the Finke for the first time. I think the phrase ‘baptism of fire’ may sound like a picnic compared to what he’s in for.

'A Passion in My Family'

Hemsworth is, predictably, chuffed about the whole thing. He put it like this:

'Off road racing has been a passion in my family for a long time. Wild State is thrilled to partner with the Tatts Finke Desert Race on the eve of its 50th anniversary… We can’t wait to bring this epic competition to a global audience.'

Right, But, What Is the Finke Race?

• Officially, it’s the biggest annual sporting event in the Northern Territory – not that there’s much else happening out there, to be fair.
• The two-day event sends bikes, cars, buggies and whatever else people can coax across the outback on a brutal, remote course from Alice Springs to the (tiny) Finke community and back again.
• This June marks 50 years of, well, utter madness. The anniversary is a big deal for the sport, so the timing of this film isn’t just convenient, it’s calculated.
• The race’s reputation? Flat out dangerous. Seriously, the word ‘gruelling’ gets thrown round a lot for the Finke, but it fits: long, fast, and with a geographical stubbornness that makes the Dakar look like a jolly.

Who’s Involved on the Industry Side?

Wild State’s not some fly-by-night outfit—Hemsworth and Grayson have already chalked up credits with the Disney+ series Limitless (if you like brain science and the actor rinsing himself in cold water) and Netflix’s Extraction films. In terms of what’s next on their plate, they’re developing Crime 101 for Amazon and an Apple project called Corsair Code—in case you wondered if they had range beyond getting battered in the desert.

You have to admit, there’s a certain thrill in watching someone deliberately choose a project where sand, speed and a lack of basic comfort are part of the selling point. If Wild State manages to capture the insanity and spectacle of the Finke—and if Hemsworth looks half as knackered at the end as the real-life racers do—they’ll have done the event justice.