By Huw Fullerton

Published: Wednesday, 06 April 2022 at 12:00 am


After a shaky start, Thor has become one of the MCU’s most popular heroes – in so small part due to the humorous tone struck in his third solo film, Thor: Ragnarok.

Fans will therefore be delighted that Kiwi director Taika Waititi is returning for another film with Chris Hemsworth, this time titled Thor: Love and Thunder.

Marvel films can always rely on A-list casts, and this one if is no different, with long-absent star Natalie Portman rejoining the Marvel franchise as Jane Foster, and the Guardians of the Galaxy also set to feature.

There’s also the small matter of Christian Bale making his return to the superhero arena as new villain Gorr the God Butcher, while several big-name cameos are in the pipeline – with Russel Crowe recently confirming that he would play Greek God Zeus.

Filming is currently underway in Australia, as confirmed by Hemsworth (via Instagram), but we can’t rule out the possibility of another release date shuffle if Black Widow misses its planned launch in July due to COVID-19.

Here’s everything we know so far about Thor: Love and Thunder, from the recent delay in release date and which Marvel stars are expected to appear in the sequel, to how it could tie into the upcoming Marvel movies.

Thor: Love and Thunder release date

Thor: Love and Thunder will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 8th July 2022.

The release date has shifted on multiple occasions due to production issues and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The movie was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019 as part of Marvel’s huge Phase 4 reveal, with Portman’s appearance on-stage proving to be one of the most memorable moments of the convention.

Filming got underway in Australia from 26th January 2021 and star Chris Hemsworth marked the occasion with a thought-provoking Instagram post depicting a “Welcome to the Country” ceremony performed by indigenous Australian people.

Thor: Love and Thunder will reportedly use the same groundbreaking visual effects technology as Disney Plus series The Mandalorian, which will prove particularly helpful as travelling to real-world locations is made more difficult by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Thor: Love and Thunder cast

The following cast members have been confirmed for Thor: Love and Thunder.

Given the runaway success of Thor: Ragnarok, it should be no surprise that Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will return in the lead roles as Thor and Valkyrie, the latter still serving as the new ruler of Asgard.

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Natalie Portman speaks at the Marvel Studios Panel during 2019 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. 
Getty

However, Marvel Studios did raise some eyebrows when it revealed that Natalie Portman will return to the MCU as Jane Foster, but this time she will become the God of Thunder herself when Thor is deemed unworthy of his hammer (a story inspired by a popular comic-book arc).

“[She’s] a Thor,” Waititi told ET. “There’s still the other Thor, the original Thor. She’s not called Female Thor. In the comics, she’s called the Mighty Thor. It comes from that comic run.”

Explaining how he convinced Portman to return to the Thor series, Waititi explained (via Variety), “I just said to her, ‘Are you interested in coming back to this thing, but doing something really different?’ No one wants to keep repeating themselves, and no one wants to play the same characters all the time.

“And I think for her, just coming back, reprising that character in a whole fresh new way was really what would interest anyone. Especially in most of these films, if you’re not a superhero… do you really wanna keep doing that? I mean, I wouldn’t. I’d want to come back and change things up.”

#Thor director Taika Waititi explains how he got Natalie Portman to return to the MCU #D23 #ThorLoveAndThunder https://t.co/x7MfH5gbUM pic.twitter.com/Sl8GZWeTS0

— Variety (@Variety) August 24, 2019