‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Adds Tessa Thompson, Loses Natalie Portman
Captain America: Civil Warmight have most of the Avengers, and a host of new MCU heavyweights to boot, butThor: Ragnarokhas quietly been building an amazing cast in its own right. In addition toChris Hemsworthas Thor andMark Ruffaloas Hulk — the only two Avengers not appearing inCivil War— the film is also expected to feature the returns ofTom Hiddleston’s Loki andJaimie Alexander’s Sif,anda new character played byCate Blanchettto boot.
Now it’s added yet another exciting talent to the cast:Tessa Thompson, who broke out last year withCreed. Unfortunately, that good news comes with a side of bad news. We’ve also learned thatNatalie Portmanis not returning as Dr. Jane Foster.
Details on Thompson’sThor: Ragnarokcharacter remain under tight wraps, withTHRsaying only that she has a “key role” in the superhero sequel. The trade does speculate that she could be the new female lead, since Portman won’t be back. Coincidentally, Thompson is about to begin shooting Alex Garland’sAnnihilationwith Portman, along with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, and Oscar Isaac, in the coming weeks.
Taika Waititiis set to helmThor: Ragnarokfrom a script most recently rewritten byStephany Folsom. Ruffalo hasdescribed the film in vague termsas “a buddy picture with Thor and Bruce Banner,” but one in which the buddies engage in a giant CG battle. “I think they’ll probably fight,” he said. “There’s no doubt, everyone wants us to fight at one point.” More specific plot details remain murky, but the title suggests we’re in for a giant war that could spell the end of Asgard as we know it.
It’s a bit surprising to hear Portman won’t return as Jane Foster, who’s been positioned as the female lead of the franchise and Thor’s main love interest. But the word is thatRagnarokwon’t be spending much time down on Midgard (a.k.a. Earth), which may explain why Stellan Skarsgard’s Dr. Erik Selvigwon’t be back either. (And if they’re both out, we’d guess that Kat Dennings' Darcy is as well.) There have been rumors thatThor: Ragnarokwouldintroduce another female superheroto the MCU, so maybe that’s the part Thompson is filling.
Thompson has been bouncing around Hollywood for more than a decade — one of her big early roles was as Jackie Cook in season two ofVeronica Mars— but she’s really blown up over the past couple of years with roles inDear White People,Selma, andCreed. She’s now shooting HBO’sWestworld, and recently received great notices at SXSW for her supporting role in John Michael McDonagh’sWar on Everyone.
