The Marvel Cinematic Universe appears to be adding yet more faces as reportedly rising star Tessa Thomspon (Creed) will join the cast of Thor: Ragnarok. Marvel’s third Thor standalone feature is already looking like classy affair with 2-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (Carol) rumored to join the ensemble alongside Marvel regulars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Hiddleston; Jaime Alexander has signed on as well. Flight of the Conchords vet Taika Waititi (who directed, wrote and starred in the cult comedy What We Do in the Shadows) will direct.
Marvel likes to keep things tight, so intel on Thompson’s character is vague at best, but it seems she is being primed for a superhero character of some kind. If nothing else, this may be hopeful refrain that the powers that be are paying attention since the billions-earning franchise has received a fair share of critical backlash for its lack of female superheros. Thompson may also appear in future Marvel installments but the particulars are not known at this time.
Thompson turned heads with her acclaimed turn in the 2014 indie comedy Dear White People, a role for which she earned a Breakthrough Performance honor at the 2014 Gotham Awards. She has since appeared in the Oscar winning Selma and last year earned nice notices for her nicely calibrated (and somewhat unexpectedly rounded) performance in Ryan Cooger’s Creed. With role in HBO’s upcoming hot-button series Westworld and a turn in Alex Garland’s upcoming Annihilation opposite Natalie Portman, expect to be hearing quite a lot about Thompson in the near future.
Thor: Ragnarok is expected to start shooting this July – the film will mark the re-appearances of both Hemsworth’s Thor and Ruffalo’s The Hulk (both of whom are noticeably absent from Marvel’s upcoming Captain America: Civil War. Thor: Ragnarok is due in theaters on November 3, 2017.
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