The first look at Chris Hemsworth and Taron Egerton has been revealed on the set of Matt Ross‘ crime thriller Kockroach while filming in Sydney, Australia.
The images show a mid-1950s setting, where Hemsworth and Egerton are dressed in dark vintage-style clothing, including long black overcoats and classic fedora hats, giving the scene a noir-inspired crime thriller aesthetic. The film follows a mysterious stranger from New York’s criminal underworld who transforms himself into a larger-than-life crime boss in a city where power is everything.
Directed by Ross, Kockroach is based on a screenplay by Jonathan Ames, later revised by Ross himself. Andrew Lazar and Christina Weiss Lurie serve as producers, with Black Bear handling international sales at Cannes. Domestic rights are co-represented by CAA Media Finance and Range Select.
The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Zazie Beetz, Taron Egerton, Alec Baldwin, and Rachel Sennott.
Here are the plot details for Kockroach:
It is the mid-1950s, and in a fleabag hotel off Times Square, Kockroach, perfectly content with life as an insect, awakens to discover that he has somehow become, of all things, a human. This tragic turn of events would be enough to fling a more highly evolved creature into despair, but cockroaches know no despair. Firmly entrenched in the present tense, they are awesome coping machines, and so Kockroach copes.
Step by step, he learns the ways of humans—how to walk, how to talk, and how to wear a jaunty brown fedora. In Times Square, he discovers a blistering sea of lights, a great smoking god, walls of glass laden with food, and the opportunity to rise in the human world.
Two companions guide him on his journey: Mite, an undersized gangster suffering from an acute case of existential angst, and Celia Singer, a reserved woman with a disfigured body who finds in Kockroach the key to unlocking her hidden passions.
As Kockroach, driven by his primitive desires and insect-like amorality, navigates the bizarre human realms of crime, business, politics, and sex, he encounters both great triumph and devastating disaster. Will he find success, or be squashed flat from above? Will he change humanity, or will humanity change him?
“We could not be more excited to be shooting Kockroach in Sydney,” said Lazar.
“It’s truly a world-class, film-friendly city in every respect: the film crews are incredible, the locations are vast and diverse, and our cast is looking forward to enjoying everything Sydney has to offer, including the excellent accommodation and food.”
Kockroach is expected to hit theaters in late 2026 or early 2027.
