Marvel Wouldn’t Let Chris Hemsworth Work On Another Disney Project
Marvel Studios wouldn't let Chris Hemsworth finish his new series Limitless until he finished shooting Thor: Love and Thunder, as they feared he could die while filming the show.
As it turns out, even Thor the God of Thunder has his limits. In an appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, Chris Hemsworth had to adjust shooting his new Disney+ show Limitless because Marvel Studios was afraid the show might kill him before he could film Thor: Love and Thunder. In the National Geographic series, Hemsworth takes on a series of extreme physical challenges in the exploration of human immortality, and Marvel was not happy with the risks the 39-year-old Australian actor was taking.
During the interview, Hemsworth talked about the insane stunts he took on in Limitless, and a few made Marvel Studios balk, especially since he had yet to film Love and Thunder. While describing one particular physical challenge, he told Kimmel that Marvel stepped in and stopped him from doing it, afraid that he could die if something went wrong. “You can do that after our film,” he recalls Marvel telling him.
In the first episode, Chris Hemsworth measures the effect of stress on his body, as he trains to climb a crane on top of a building. That includes learning how to reduce stress while undergoing water training, to deal with possible drowning. It’s a fascinating series, and also provides some interesting techniques to counter the effects of negative factors on your body and mind.
The six-episode first season is now available to watch on Disney+, and while the series also includes a disclaimer about the dangers of the stunts Chris Hemsworth attempts in Limitless, the actor admitted that abiding by Marvel’s wishes made his job harder. He had hoped to film Limitless before he had to bulk up for Love and Thunder, and holding back on certain episodes until later meant he had to perform with a lot of extra weight. Since the stunts were best performed while he was leaner, he found many of the stunts, including climbing a rope, to be incredibly hard.
Hemsworth also discussed the recent development that his Avengers co-star Chris Evans was named Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine, dethroning yet another Marvel star, Ant-Man actor Paul Rudd. “It’s a passing of the torch,” he joked, admitting that the other Avengers actors share a text chain, and mocked Evans’ magazine cover photo. Chris Hemsworth was named Sexiest Man Alive in 2014.
Chris Hemsworth recently started offering a new fitness program, Centr Power, which is hosted by his Thor stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton and features the workout that Hemsworth uses to bulk up.
The future of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still up in the air, although it is likely he will don his Asgardian armor and wield Stormbreaker and/or Mjöllnir soon enough. There isn’t a Thor film on Marvel’s release slate for Phases Five or Six, but it could be added easily enough. With Love and Thunder introducing Hercules as a potential future foe, fans would certainly love to see it.
Chris Hemsworth recently wrapped filming Extraction 2 for Netflix, as well as Furiosa, the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel. He is expected to begin production on a Hulk Hogan biopic soon, and he is also expected to appear in future Avengers films The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
