Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson might have only just shared the screen in Avengers: Endgame (there’ll be no spoilers in this article for anyone who *didn’t* just contribute to that film’s $1.2bn opening weekend), but it won’t be long 'til they’re sharing the screen again in a more significant capacity in Men in Black: International.
The upcoming sci-fi spin-off, which introduces the UK outpost of the secret, extraterrestrial-policing agency, sees Thor and Valkyrie trading on their chemistry again as an odd-couple duo who team up to protect the Earth from the worst scum in the universe.
Hemsworth is Agent H, the more seasoned of the sharp-suited duo, while Thompson is M, a rookie who has found her way to the organisation. Their primary target is a three-armed alien named Riza (Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s Rebecca Ferguson), and they’re joined by a tiny (and more friendly) ET, Pawny (voiced by The Big Sick’s Kumail Nanjiani).
You can get a new look at the film via the exclusive images below, which have been revealed by our sister publication Total Film magazine. The images feature a new look at Hemsworth and Thompson on set as well as on location in Ischia, Italy, as well as Ferguson’s villainous Riza. Check them out below:
Hemsworth and Thompson’s chemistry extends off-screen, Total Film discovers when they explain how they came to work together again. “We traded a text message or an email in which Chris was like, ‘Hey, legend, are we going to rock this?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna!’” recalls Thompson.
“It was great to not have to work on a chemistry and find that rhythm,” Hemsworth tells Total Film. “We came off Thor 3 and Avengers [Endgame] straight into this and picked up where we left off, basically. And that was a massive advantage. Tessa’s wildly talented and has a great sense of humour and great sense of timing and so I think the best parts of our performance have been when [director F.] Gary [Gray] gives us our take at the end of each set-up and we get to just rub the edges off it and improvise and dance around with some dialogue. I couldn’t repeat that with somebody else, you know.”
As co-star Kumail Nanjiani tells Total Film, “It’s fascinating, seeing two people play completely different parts, but they still have that almost indescribable thing that great duos have. That’s primarily why I’m excited to see this movie, I just want to see the two of them together.” Rebecca Ferguson is equally effusive: “There is something very equal about them, it’s very balanced. But they’re also naughty! They are extremely funny. Tessa has brilliant timing. And Chris just takes the piss out of himself. He’s a handsome chap who doesn’t have to look in the mirror all the time. He just plays a goofball, which is wonderful.”
And in the future, Hemsworth and Thompson may well team up again for other films outside the Men in Black and Avengers franchises. “It used to happen all the time in Hollywood where you used to get these pairings of actors, that you like to see in a multitude of scenarios,” explains Thompson. “We love that callback to that Old Hollywood idea where you got to follow these two actors through different things.” Where they go, we’ll follow.
Men in Black: International opens in the UK and US on 14 June 2019, and you can read much more about it in the latest issue of Total Film magazine, which hits shelves this Friday, May 3. It features much more from Hemsworth, Thompson, Ferguson, Nanjiani, director F. Gary Gray and more, as well as an exclusive on-set report. Elsewhere in the issue, there’s a huge Star Wars special looking at The Rise of Skywalker and beyond, an in-depth look at Toy Story 4, set visits to the year’s two biggest musicals and much more besides. Check it out!
If you’re a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue, and you’ll also get exclusive subscriber-only covers like the one below delivered directly to your doormat before it hits shelves? What are you waiting for? We’re currently running a subscription offer where you can subscribe from as little as £12.25 to get an Alien Funko Pop! And 50 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies book, worth £20! Or you can upgrade your package to get Alien: Isolation on Xbox or PS4 too. Head to My Favourite Magazines now to take advantage of the offer. (Ts and Cs apply).
