While watching Marvel movies in theaters now feels like something that happened in a different lifetime for many of us, the Marvel Studios machine is still moving forwards. In fact, between Disney Plus shows and upcoming films, it's never been busier.
One of those upcoming movies is Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth Thor film due to release in 2022, which will again be directed by Thor: Ragnarok's Taika Waititi. Now, the film, which will feature Natalie Portman reprising her role as Jane Foster – who will become Thor herself – has been compared to a fifth Avengers film by a source in a new report. That's because the film has a 'sprawling' cast, according to the story by The Hollywood Reporter, which quotes an insider who says the film has an "Avengers 5 feel".
The film's confirmed cast includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Chris Pratt reprising his role as Star-Lord. The ending of Avengers: Endgame hinted at Thor joining the Guardians. Christian Bale is reportedly playing the film's villain. It's unclear if other actors are involved in the film.
The story is jam-packed with other MCU tidbits, too. The report is primarily about the fact that Black Panther 2 is filming next July, delayed from March following the death of star Chadwick Boseman. It's unclear how Marvel is going to navigate that, but the possibility of Letitia Wright's Shuri taking on a larger role is floated. Narcos: Mexico's Tenoch Huerta will reportedly play a villain.
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The focus on Marvel TV
The report mentions that the upcoming Disney Plus shows are also a big focus for Marvel Studios right now. It sounds like the upcoming Loki and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series are in their latter stages, after filming began on both before the pandemic kicked off earlier this year.
No mention is made of Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye series, which is supposed to add Kate Bishop's version of the character to the MCU, but the series Ms Marvel – starring the relatively unknown Iman Vellani – has begun filming. Meanwhile, THR mentions that Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac and She-Hulk featuring actress Tatiana Maslany will both start filming in March.
Disney Plus, then, could have a huge 2021 for Marvel TV shows. It all kicks off with WandaVision on January 15.
Meanwhile, the movies Spider-Man 3 (it doesn't have an official title yet) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are both filming now, according to the report. The studio is apparently meeting with writers for its Blade film starring Mahershala Ali. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 and Ant-Man 3 are also meant to film next year.
All of this should make up for a fallow 2020 – no Marvel movies or TV shows were released during this hellish year.
