Of course, Hemsworth in his time away from playing the mighty Thor explores other genres, like action fantasy with Snow White and the Huntsman and its sequel, director Ron Howard's big whale tale In the Heart of the Sea and the remake of the paranormal comedy Ghostbusters.
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Rarely, though, has Hemsworth taken the opportunity to play real-life characters, with his turn as 1970s era Formula One racer James Hunt in Howard's underrated drama Rush being the only exception. That's about to change, though, with Hemsworth's upcoming role in a film based on the declassified true story about a dozen military members who took to horseback to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
Warner Bros. released the second trailer Wednesday for 12 Strong, which chronicles the true story of how a group of CIA paramilitary officers and U.S. Special Forces members were sent to hunt down the Taliban following the tragedies of September 11. The trailer begins with soldiers reacting to the sight of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, followed by Hemsworth's character, Capt. Mitch Nelson (inspired by true-life soldier Mark Nutsch), delivering a rallying cry to his unit – 12 men strong – who would become the first troops to fight in Afghanistan.
What made the operation – dubbed Task Force Dagger – different, however, was that the soldiers would largely be accomplishing their mission on horseback; an usual but necessary approach given that they would be battling the Taliban on the country's mountainous terrain.
It's great to see Hemsworth expanding his resume a bit by taking on yet another true-life film, which is sure to stir up deep emotions with audiences given its riveting subject matter. Judging from the trailer, the Australian actor seems to have a great handle on his character's thick, East Coast accent, and is very convincing as he rides headlong into battle as a real-life hero.
Based on the best-selling non-fiction novel by Doug Stanton, the supporting cast for 12 Strong is loaded with heavy-hitters including Michael Shannon, Michael Peña and William Fichtner. Prolific filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer is serving as the film's producer. Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig, 12 Strong opens in theaters nationwide on January 18, 2018.
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Source: Warner Bros. Pictures