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The New ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Trailer Delivers Twice The Thor – And The First Look At The Film’s Villain

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Tue, 24 May 2022 03:08:53 +0000

It will almost assuredly be a trivia question years from now: who was the first character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get a fourth solo film? The answer, of course, will be Thor Odinson, and the film will be the movie that’s next headed to cinemas for audiences to enjoy: ‘Thor: Love and Thunder.’ The impending superhero film comes with a few twists and “extras,” however. The story will see not only Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as the iconic God of Thunder, but Natalie Portman also returns to the franchise – not just as mild-mannered human scientist and Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster, but ALSO as The Might Thor, wielding the reconstructed Mjolnir hammer and sporting some serious superhero(ine) cred of her own. Oh, and the fan-favorite Guardians of the Galaxy also feature in the film. There should be a lot to take in from this one! Speaking of the Guardians team, however – it’s hard to tell how heavily they will feature in the film, as not only is this not “their story,” but the newest trailer that just dropped really seems to minimize their involvement in the main plot of the film. This is a stark […]

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Taika Waititi Talks ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’: YES – Space Sharks, NO – Silver Surfer, MAYBE – Beta Ray Bill

Jax Motes — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 23:29:29 +0000

Hollywood may be shut down, but that doesn’t mean that nothing is going on behind the scenes. Fans are still looking forward to all the big movies that were announced before the COVID-19 outbreak, including those that haven’t begun filming yet. One of the most anticipated movies coming in the next couple of years is ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ to be directed by Taika Waititi, who helmed the fan-beloved ‘Thor: Ragnarok’. Waititi held an Instagram Live watch party of ‘Ragnarok’, during which he spilled a few details regarding what fans can… and cannot… expect from ‘Love and Thunder’. Discussing the new picture, Waititi admitted: “It’s so over the top now in the very best way. It makes Ragnarok seem like a really run of the mill, very safe film…this new film feels like we asked a bunch of 10-year-olds what should be in a movie and just said yes to everything… Look up space sharks and that should give you an idea,” Yes, the film will include Marvel’s Space Sharks (also called Starsharks). But one character that will absolutely NOT be in the film, despite recent rumors, is the Silver Surfer. The rights to that popular character were previously held […]

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Tessa Thompson Confirms Christian Bale Is Playing The Villain In ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

Jax Motes — Sat, 07 Mar 2020 00:46:42 +0000

Christian Bale is officially playing the villain in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, at least according to star Tessa Thompson. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Thompson expressed: “Christian Bale is going to play our villain, which is going to be fantastic. I’ve read the script. I can’t tell you much. Lots of exciting text messages exchanged between Natalie and I. We’re going to have fun. Taika is writing [and] directing. Some familiar faces. Some new people coming into the mix.” Indeed, Taika Waititi reinvigorated the ‘Thor’ franchise with ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, following the first two, far more serious movies in the series. The director recently won his first Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for ‘Jojo Rabbit’. He will be back to write and direct ‘Love and Thunder’. He will also lend his voice to rock man Korg, as he has in ‘Ragnarok’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’. Also returning from previous pictures is Natalie Portman, whose Jane Foster has been absent from the MCU since ‘Thor: The Dark World’. Following the storyline from the comics, she will become a new version of Thor in this sequel. RELATED: Taika Waititi Hammers Home Who The Real Star Of ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Is […]

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Batman Vs. Thor?: Christian Bale Is In Talks To Join ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

Jax Motes — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 00:41:04 +0000

Looks like fans are getting a crossover they never thought they’d see — the Dark Knight in a Marvel movie! Christian Bale, who starred in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy, is in talks to return to the comic book genre in Taika Waititi‘s ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. His role is being kept secret, but with a star of this calibre, it’s sure to be a big one. Waititi himself is a veteran of the DC movie franchises, having portrayed Thomas Kalmaku, Hal Jordan’s roommate in ‘Green Lantern’. Speaking of ‘Green Lantern’, Ryan Reynolds played the titular hero before playing a Marvel character in ‘Deadpool’, but that was under 20th Century Fox, prior to Disney’s purchase of the studio. Angela Bassett portrayed Amanda Waller in that film, and Queen Ramonda in ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’. And speaking of ‘Endgame’, the Big Bad of the MCU, Josh Brolin/Thanos, also portrayed the DC cowboy antihero in ‘Jonah Hex’. And just for the heck of it, he also portrayed another Marvel character, Cable in Fox’s ‘Deadpool 2’. Another former Batman, Michael Keaton, who starred in 1989’s ‘Batman’ and 1992’s ‘Batman Returns’, joined the MCU as The Vulture in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. And the most […]

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Natalie Portman Breaks Her Silence About Returning To The MCU In ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

Jax Motes — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 22:46:45 +0000

There were few jaw-droppers at SDCC this year as big as the revelation that Natalie Portman would not only be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Jane Foster, but that Jane would become the new female Thor, just as she did in the comics, and would co-headline the next ‘Thor’ movie, ‘Love and Thunder’. Portman has publicly expressed her dislike for making the ‘Thor’ movies (similarly to the way she felt about the ‘Star Wars’ prequels). She very clearly refused to appear in supporting roles in other Marvel entries, like the ‘Avengers’ flicks. (Stellan Skarsgård’s Erik Selvig was given the supporting role. Jane appeared in photographs.) We all thought that Jane had moved away, perhaps sharing an apartment somewhere with Betty Ross (Liv Tyler, remember her?!). So a few audible gasps were heard when Portman’s Jane appeared in the flesh in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, during the time Thor and Rocket traveled back to the time of the events of ‘Thor: The Dark World’. And then, during Marvel Studios’ massive panel at SDCC, Portman appeared on stage where director Taika Waititi bowed and presented her with her own Mjolnir. Portman has remained mum about returning to the MCU, […]

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Taika Waititi Hammers Home Who The Real Star Of ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Is

Stuart Conover — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 00:23:38 +0000

Once it was announced that Natalie Portman would become Thor in the upcoming ‘Thor: Love and Thunder‘ there were a ton of questions as to what direction the film would take. Director Taika Waititi let fans previously know that there would be 2 Thors in the movie and now is making clear who exactly the star of the upcoming Marvel Studios film will be. With a new Thor in the picture, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie having to build a new Asgard, and the original Thor joining the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ it could easily feel like Chris Hemsworth’s character wouldn’t be front and center in the film. If anything, it would be an easy guess to say that Hemsworth was passing Mjolnir to Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster to become Mighty Thor and keep Earth safe while he was off-world helping his new friends. However, in a recent interview, the director was asked if Portman or Hemsworth would be the leading character in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ where he replied: “It’s Chris. It’s a Thor film. He is Thor, it’s a Thor film. She’s in it.” So while we will see Foster becoming Mighty Thor, she won’t be taking over full time […]

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Taika Waititi Clarifies There Will Be 2 Thors In ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

Stuart Conover — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 18:48:35 +0000

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con we learned that the fourth Thor film would introduce Natalie Portman‘s Jane Foster as Thor! Many fans were worried this could mean that Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor Odinson would somehow be losing his power or status in ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Director Taika Waititi was asked about the situation at this year’s D23 Expo, and while he didn’t go into details on the plot, he did shed some light on the situation when asked about it by Entertainment Tonight: “[She’s] a Thor. There’s still the other Thor, the original Thor [played by Hemsworth]. She’s not called Female Thor. In the comics, she’s called the Mighty Thor. It comes from that comic run. I couldn’t be more happy and excited.” It sounds as if Foster won’t be replacing Odinson but joining him. While the comics showed us where The Mighty Thor came from when the original no longer felt worthy to wield Mjolnir, it feels like things will play out a little differently here. We aren’t sure how much of a part Hemsworth’s character will be playing in the movie as he might be leaving at some point […]

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Despite Reports, Taika Waititi Has Not Finished The Script For ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

Jax Motes — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 21:32:02 +0000

Taika Waititi is busy preparing to release his next film ‘Jojo Rabbit’ in October. After that, he is set to direct the soccer comedy ‘Next Goal Wins’. And then, finally, sometime next year, he will begin working on ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. So any reports that Waititi has completed the script for ‘Love and Thunder’ are false. The director himself declared this in response to a report posted on Twitter: Oh that’s cool!! I never cease to surprise me! (the title page is complete) https://t.co/wSMzolKVbY — Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) August 23, 2019 It was announced that Waititi had signed on to write and direct the fourth ‘Thor’ movie in mid-July, just before San Diego Comic-Con. Although he joked that “the title page is complete,” it’s most likely that he’s written a little bit more than that. RELATED: Natalie Portman Returns To Marvel As The Female Thor In ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ ‘Love and Thunder’ arrives before ‘Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3’, but Thor was seen heading to the stars with the Guardians at the end of ‘Avengers: Endgame’. Before departing, Thor handed over leadership of the Asgardians to Valkyrie, their new King, and it is known that […]

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‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ And ‘Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings’ Are Set To Film In Sydney, Australia

Jax Motes — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 20:12:24 +0000

Chris Hemsworth may be headed home, as Marvel Studios has announced that two of its upcoming pictures will film in Sydney, Australia– ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ and ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’. ‘Thor 4’ will film at the Disney-owned Fox Studios in Sydney. According to Variety, it will receive “$16.7 million (A$24.1 million) in subsidies from the Australian federal government and the New South Wales state government.” ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ also filmed in Australia, in Gold Coast, Queensland. Director Taika Waititi is a native of nearby New Zealand. ‘Shang-Chi’ will actually film first, as pre-production on ‘Thor 4’ won’t begin until March 2020, with shooting not expected to begin until August. RELATED: SDCC 2019: Simu Liu To Star In ‘Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings’ With Awkwafina And Tony Chiu-Wai Leung New South Wales communications minister Paul Fletcher announced: “Thor: Love and Thunder” is expected “to invest more than A$178 million ($124 million) in our economy, create up to 2,500 jobs and use the services of around 1,650 businesses.” David Grant, VP of Marvel Studios, stated: “Shooting ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ back to back will […]

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Taika Waititi Says Call Natalie Portman The “Mighty Thor”

Jax Motes — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 13:30:26 +0000

Unlike most superheroes, Thor is actually Thor’s real name, not a title or pseudonym. So when Jane Foster took on his abilities when she picked up Mjolnir, she simply went by the name “Thor.” It gets a little confusing, so fans tend to refer to her as “Jane Foster Thor,” or “female Thor,” or “Lady Thor.” Taika Waititi has a solution for you, though. Waititi, who directed ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, is returning to helm ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, a movie that was announced this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. In a surprise move, Natalie Portman is returning as Jane Foster, except in this one, she gets to be the hero, not the damsel in distress. Following the storyline from the comics, this Jane will somehow become the new Thor. But with Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor still running around, how will we differentiate them? RELATED: SDCC 2019: The Next “Thor” Film Is ‘Thor Love And Thunder’ Which Will Also Focus On Valkyrie And A Female Thor! When a fan on Twitter attested that it was okay to call her “Female Thor” since she is… well, female and a Thor, Waititi offered this correction: Correction. She’s called Mighty Thor. — Taika Waititi […]

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SDCC 2019: Natalie Portman Returns To Marvel As The Female Thor In ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

Jax Motes — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 22:21:10 +0000

Natalie Portman shocked the audience at the Marvel Studios panel at SDCC when she took the stage alongside Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, director Taika Waititi, and stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, for the announcement that she will be the titular hero in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. Yes, that’s the titular hero. Just as she did in the comics, Jane Foster will assume the role of Thor. As Waititi said, “So, there’s only one person who can do that,” as Portman walked on stage. Waititi presented her with a prop of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. Portman quipped: “This feels pretty good. I’ve always had a little hammer envy.” In ‘Avengers: Endgame’, Thor passed the mantle of King of New Asgard to Thompson’s Valkyrie. As Thompson told the crowd: “As new king (of Asgard), she needs to find her queen. That will be the first order of business.” Is that where Portman’s Jane Foster/Thor comes into play? (Feige indicated that Valkyrie’s storyline is “LGBTQ,” something that Thompson has been pushing for.) RELATED: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Loses Natalie Portman & Adds Tessa Thompson In the comics, written by Jason Aaron, after Thor is deemed unworthy of wielding Mjolnir, Jane Foster picks […]

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SDCC 2019: The Next “Thor” Film Is ‘Thor Love And Thunder’ Which Will Also Focus On Valkyrie And A Female Thor!

Stuart Conover — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 06:34:37 +0000

Thanks to San Diego Comic-Con we’ve learned that the fourth Thor movie now titled ‘Thor Love And Thunder’ and won’t just put a spotlight on Chris Hemsworth’s character. While Thor is in the film it seems that the story will focus on Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie who has been ruling Asgard since ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and a surprise return of Natalie Portman being introduced as a female Thor. Portman hasn’t been seen as Jane Foster since ‘Thor: The Dark World’ and it isn’t clear quite yet how she’ll become a Goddess, but it feels like they won’t be exactly using the story arc of Jason Aaron’s ‘The Mighty Thor’ which it will be based on. We know Thor is worthy and having him become unworthy to wield Mjolnir again so soon would feel redundant. That being said, director Taika Waititi is going to be tackling the film and shares that “That storyline is incredible is full emotion, love, and thunder and introduces for the first time female Thor.” In the comics, the female Thor was met hesitantly by many fans, but Jason Aaron crafted such a fantastic story that even many of those who were most annoyed by the change had caved […]

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Should I Check Out…: ‘Annihilation’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 19:11:30 +0000

Welcome to ‘Should I Check Out…” a new weekly column here at ScienceFiction.com dedicated to giving you the scoop on recent TV series, movies, games, novels, comic books, and more – entertainment that you may not have heard of or may not have had the chance to explore yet. We’ll explain a bit about what the property is, what you might get out of it, and what you might not know about it, so you can be armed with more knowledge as you ask yourself the question: should I check out this stuff… or not? Take a look at what we’re writing about this week, and if you’ve already checked it out, let us know in the Comments section below what you think about it! When it bounced around multiple release dates before finally falling on the schedule for a February 2018 theatrical release, the general assumption was that ‘Annihilation,’ the sci-fi film directed by Alex Garland and based on the Jeff Van Der Meer book of the same name, didn’t earn the confidence of distribution company Paramount of being a “good” film that would please audiences. Indeed, Paramount execs asked for the film’s tone to be made lighter […]

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Natalie Portman Loses Touch With Reality In The Trailer For NASA Drama ‘Lucy In The Sky’

Jax Motes — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 18:57:15 +0000

Natalie Portman and John Hamm are space-bound in the trailer for ‘Lucy in the Sky’ (formerly known as ‘Pale Blue Dot’), an astronaut drama that explores the effects of disassociative disorder. Portman plays Lucy Cola, who spends an extended period of time in the wonders of space. When she must return to her everyday life on Earth, she has trouble adjusting and loses touch with reality. Noah Hawley directed the film, which is loosely based on the real-life experiences of NASA explorer Lisa Nowak, who drove 900 miles (wearing adult diapers so she wouldn’t have to stop) to kidnap an Air Force captain, Colleen Shipman, who had become romantically involved with Nowak’s fellow astronaut, William Oefelein, with whom she was apparently obsessed. As Portman’s Lucy says in the trailer, “I just feel a little off. You go up there. You see the whole universe. And everything here looks so small.” Hamm portrays her fellow astronaut Mark Goodwin, standing in for Oefelein, who reasons, “You got to see the vast celestial everything, and it blew your mind. So, now, nothing makes sense.” Through it all, Lucy insists that she “fine.” Hawley, who created the trippy X-Men-based series ‘Legion’ brings that surreal […]

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The Russo Brothers Reveal The Fates Of Marvel Characters That Were Not In ‘Infinity War’

Jax Motes — Mon, 14 May 2018 14:00:47 +0000

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains MASSIVE SPOILERS for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, so if you haven’t seen it… first of all, what’s wrong with you? But yeah, if you want to avoid SPOILERS, back away now. Can we just agree that all the characters that turned to dust at the end of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ are safe? I mean, Black Panther, who had the best performance of any solo Marvel hero? Spider-Man, the corporate mascot? Almost ALL of the Guardians of the Galaxy? Yeah, they’re all coming back. But what about those characters that didn’t appear on-screen in ‘Infinity War’? What happened to them? Shockingly, directors Anthony and Joe Russo came clean with what became of our favorite supporting players. Nakia and Shuri: Black Panther was among the beings that got wiped out of existence when Thanos snapped his Infinity Gauntlet. Okoye survived and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let her play a MAJOR role in upcoming movies because she is the awesomest! But what about T’Challa’s love, Nakia, and genius kid sister Shuri? When questioned about Nakia, Joe Russo said “She’s on missions.” Anthony added, “Yeah, deep undercover.” But when it came to Shuri’s fate, the brothers simply replied “Spoiler.” So… that […]

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