As of right now, we don’t know an awful lot about Thor: Ragnarok. There are certainly plenty of rumours doing the rounds (including the fact that it will likely adapt elements of the Planet Hulk storyline), but the only confirmed cast members are Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo.
After confirming that they’re still in the process of figuring out how Tom Hiddleston will factor into the threequel, director Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows) weighed in on reports that Cate Blanchett is playing the villainous Hela. “Look, it’s so early I’m not sure exactly what the extent of it is, but it’s looking good, which would make me very happy. Yeah, the rumor … Here’s the thing. I can’t say anything. I’ve probably said way too much.”
The filmmaker has talked a lot recently about bringing more humour to the world of Thor, but don’t go thinking that he’ll be putting huge action set pieces to one side in a movie with a title which points to the apocalypse coming to Asgard and the world of the God of Thunder.
“Nobody knows what Ragnarok is. I started reading about the actual Norse Ragnarok and that’s even more insane than the comics. But that’s what I’m going to really concentrate on, really make an effort to change the entire thing. I want to treat this as if it was the first Thor film, so we’re going to redo it. You just have to flip it and freshen it up, like anything. It’s also part of a very well-established universe right now, but that’s why they got me.”
So far, so good. However, with The Hulk taking on a leading role alongside Thor, how are they going to handle him in that setting? The comics have often granted the Jade Giant the ability to speak, but will that work in live-action? It seems they’re trying to figure that out!
“It’s interesting, because at the moment, there’s a big conversation that’s happening about how far to push that,” Waititi says. “Whether or not The Hulk should be [verbal/conscious]… I think a lot of those conversations have more to do with what’s going to come up in future movies. So I think a lot of those decisions are larger group decisions, rather than anything to do with just me or the writer. They have a lot of stuff that they have to consider. But I do think that’s the best way to track it. I think we all want that. I think we all want to see that development and the evolution of that character. I also think you can do it in a fun way.”
With production set to begin later this year for a 2017 release, we’ll find out more soon!
