Chris Hemsworth Linked To Allan Quatermain Movie Series

His days as Marvel’s hammer-swinging god of thunder may be numbered, but if reports are accurate, Aussie oak Chris Hemsworth may have another heroic franchise on the horizon.

According to The Tracking Board, the ‘Thor’ actor is in talks to take on the role of literary adventurer Allan Quatermain in what is hoped to be the first film in a series.

- Epic Trailer For The Huntsman: Winter’s War
- Director Hired For Tomb Raider Reboot
- McConaughey Headed To Stephen King’s Dark Tower?

Though not greenlit just yet, an ‘Allan Quatermain’ spec script from writer Barnett Brettler is said to be ‘white hot’ right now, and reportedly being looked at by Sony as a potential franchise launcher.

Explorer and big game hunter Quatermain was introduced by novelist H Rider Haggard in the classic 1885 adventure story ‘King Solomon’s Mines.’

Haggard subsequently wrote a further 10 novels and a handful of short stories featuring his iconic hero on various exotic adventures mostly set in Africa, meaning there’s no shortage of material for any potential movie series to draw on.

The character is often cited as one of the key influences on Indiana Jones, not to mention countless other pulp heroes who’ve appeared on the page and the screen in the interim.

That said, Allan Quatermain doesn’t necessarily have the most illustrious big screen history. ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ has been adapted for the screen several times to limited success.

Perhaps most notoriously, Cannon Films cast Richard Chamberlain as Quatermain (erroneously referred to as ‘Quartermain’) alongside Sharon Stone in 1985′s low-budget, high camp ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ and its 1987 sequel ‘Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold,’ both of which were bald-faced Indiana Jones rip-offs taking very little from Haggard.

Quatermain was also the final role played by Sean Connery in another infamous dud, 2003′s troubled Alan Moore comic book adaptation ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.’

The late Patrick Swayze also took the role in a 2004 ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ TV mini-series, alongside ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ star Alison Doody.

As it would seem to be early days on this new ‘Allan Quatermain,’ there is no mention of potential producers or directors just yet, let alone release dates.

In the meantime, Hemsworth is expected to play Thor at least twice more in Marvel’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’

Hemsworth will also be seen shortly in two more adventurous roles, hunting a whale in director Ron Howard’s ‘In The Heart of the Sea,’ in UK cinemas Boxing Day.

After this, we’ll also see him take the lead in the notably Snow White-less ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ sequel ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War,’ opening 22 April 2016.

Picture Credit: Marvel/Disney. Penguin, MGM-UA, 20th Century Fox