Just last week, Marvelwrapped productiononDoctor Strange, with shooting still under way onGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is set to hit theaters next May.Thor: Ragnarokwill be the next project out of the gate inMarvel Phase Three, with filming scheduled to begin this summer in Australia. Today we have word fromDeadlinethatCreedstarTessa Thompsonhas joined the cast in an unspecified role, withThe Hollywood Reporterrevealing thatThorandThor: The Dark WorldstarNatalie Portmanis not returning as Jane Foster.
No details were given as to whyNatalie Portmanisn’t coming back, but given what we know about the story thus far, it would make sense that Jane Foster isn’t showing up in this story. Back in December,Marvel StudiospresidentKevin Feigerevealed thatThor: Ragnarokwill be set largely in the “cosmos,” with “very little” of the story taking place on Earth.Stellan Skarsgård, who also starred in bothThorandThor: The Dark World, revealed in February that he won’t be returning inThor: Ragnarok, so it would make sense thatJane Foster, and her friend Darcy (Kat Dennings) are not coming back as well.
Mark Ruffalohas been set to return as the Hulk, who will reportedly go on a “cosmic road trip” with Thor, although there isn’t much else we know about the story thus far. There have been rumors that the primary villain is Hela, to be played byCate Blanchett, who teams upTom Hiddlestonand manages to destroy Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and banish him from Asgard. Thor is reportedly sent to an unnamed planet full of gladiators, where he has to battle his way to the top and fight the planet’s champion, Hulk. Of course, none of these details have been confirmed, but they do fall in line withKevin Feige’s comments about most of the movie set in the cosmos.
As forTessa Thompson, she is said to be playing “kind of asuperhero,” who will also return in futureMarvel Cinematic Universemovies. It isn’t known if her character will be based on someone from the Marvel Comics or not, but hopefully we’ll find out more about her character as we get closer to production starting.Chris Hemsworth(Thor) andTom Hiddleston(Loki) are returning, withJaimie Alexanderalso expected to be back as Lady Sif.
Tessa Thompsonmade her breakthrough performance in the critically-acclaimed 2014 indieDear White People, and she went on to star inSelmaand last year’sCreed. She will next be seen inWar on Everyoneand the upcoming HBO seriesWestworld. Ironically, she has also signed on for a role inAnnihilation, alongsideNatalie Portman.Tessa Thompsonwill first shootAnnihilationthis spring for directorAlex Garland(Ex Machina), before moving on toThor: Ragnarokthis summer.
