Yes, this is in fact a movie about a hacker.

I'm not sure if it's going to be a hacking movie, but Thor...excuse me Chris Hemsworth is a hacker that has been put away by the US government for 15 years. He's released to help the US government hunt down another hacker attacking US infrastructure.

On top of being a, "genius hacker and coder from MIT" he also apparently kicks ass like Thor and can handle a gun, at least in the trailer. It will be interesting to see if the hacker role will play a significant role or a side roll to this movie. The term blackhat, for those who don't know, is used to denote hackers who are of a criminal nature. Or they use their "powers" for self gain. The hope is that the studio using the title "Blackhat" for one of its movies about hackers would ensure that there is at least some relevancy to its correct usage. But Hollywood can be Hollywood sometimes.

It looks like an interesting movie, though.

Micheal Mann is one of the main players behind the scenes of this movie with director, screenplay, story and producer credit. Some of the other movies he's known for include: Heat; Public Enemies; The Insider; and The Last of the Mohicans (IMDB). The dude has been nominated for an Oscar four times. If you browse his IMDB page you'll get an idea of what kind of movie this is likely to be. Of the movies I've seen he's been involved in: Hancock; Miami Vice; and Ali. All solid movies in my opinion.

Will this be a true hacker movie? Unlikely, but nothing will be if Hollywood is involved.

Will this be an entertaining movie about hackers? There's a very good chance.

Movie expected release date: January 16, 2015.

This post first appeared on Exploring Information Security.