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Tag: Thor Love and Thunder

  • Russell Crowe Was Originally Going to Play Satan in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Russell Crowe Was Originally Going to Play Satan in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Here’s a rather massive surprise but it looks like Zeus wasn’t always on the table for Thor: Love and Thunder. As revealed by artist Miles Teves, it seems that Russell Crowe was originally going to play a completely different character. While it’s uncertain at what point was he going to play this character, it seems they’ve envisioned him as the Devil or Satan at one point. Not just that, but eves also shared some artwork highlighting the design.

    There’s also a second piece showcasing a more relaxed version of the character, but just with more added color and highlighting his lazy nature. It’s unclear if he would’ve had the same role in the story or if that was also changed while rewriting it.

    It’s definitely a surprise that the character was almost featured in the film, and it adds more to the theories of Mephisto making his appearance at some point. Many believed he was the mastermind in the first Disney+ series, WandaVision but were surprised when he never even showed up. While the character here is being called the Devil or Satan, it could’ve been that they considered adding him in as Mephisto for a later storyline. Yet, as we now know how the story goes, we learn that they set up something quite different going into the post-credit sequences of this film. Still, it’s always interesting to see what almost was or could’ve been.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Nabs B+ CinemaScore, Same as ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Nabs B+ CinemaScore, Same as ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    The CinemaScore has finally arrived, which mostly reflects how the general audience feels about a film’s release. Unlike normal ratings, the films are mostly skewed heavily with A being the general goal for any release. Marvel Studios famously stuck around to this area as a “crowd-pleasing” offering but that has changed with Phase 4. Some of their releases have landed the B rating, most notably Eternals being the first to do so. Thor in 2011 also received a B+ rating. Now, Thor: Love and Thunder has also joined the B+ club.

    https://twitter.com/CinemaScore/status/1545634584313970688

    CinemaScore has just released the fact that the general audience has given Thor: Love and Thunder a B+ grade. Now, the internet is already in a panic about this being the sign that Marvel Studios has lost its grace with the general audience, but there’s a lot more at play with this rating. Yes, it is normally a higher rating, anything with a C+, such as Morbius, is a sign that the film may not leg out

    Yet, considering that the film currently holds an 84% like ratio from Google Users, stands at 7.1 on IMDb, and even has an 83% Audience Score on RottenTomatoes, you start to see the bigger picture. The only indication this value has is a hint at the legs a film will have at the box office, and if Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is anything to go by, a B+ won’t stop it too much. Yes, it won’t have the same momentum that could push it past its initial release but we may see a harsh drop in the second weekend.

    Also, most indie releases end up in this ranking, which generally is a sign of how audiences consume media. If it is mindless fun, they’ll tend to give it a higher ranking and Marvel Studios still has an A ranking for films like Shang-Chi, Black Widow, and especially Spider-Man: No Way Home. Plus, the lowest ranking films also include strong horror and gore elements, such as Doctor Strange with Love and Thunder also includes some “bloody-esque” kills plus LGTB representation that is more dominant than a blink-and-you-miss-it kiss like in Lightyear. And if we want Marvel Studios to experiment (as has been proclaimed by many over the years), they will face a slight disconnect with general audiences at times.

    Source: Twitter, CinemaScore

  • Funko Pop for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Zeus Revealed

    Funko Pop for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Zeus Revealed

    There’s a lot to love about Thor: Love and Thunder. Director Taika Waititi is let loose on his usual comedic take on the Norse space god. We not only got to meet the infamous God Butcher but are also introduced to the pantheon of gods that rule over the many parts of the galaxy. One of them was the memorable performance of Russell Crowe as the Greek god Zeus. If you’ve wanted to add him to your Funko Pop collection, you’re in luck as a new look at the bearded Greek god has been shared online.

    He was a great addition to the film and certainly left us with a memorable performance. The Funko Pop highlights his overall design, as he’s much closer to what the father of the gods is known for, especially with the way he is played. He’ll make for a great addition, and it would be a shame not to get some additional Funkos based on the various Gods that were showcased throughout the film.

    Thor: Love and Thunder has just hit theaters and is already on its way to making quite an impression at the box office. It’ll be interesting to see how far the film goes and if they might release a few Funko Pops for other characters that were showcased throughout the film’s runtime. It’s a shame that it always takes a while for some of them to see the day of light but collector’s are definitely there once they do.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Set Tour Reveals a Clever Infinity Gauntlet Easter Egg

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Set Tour Reveals a Clever Infinity Gauntlet Easter Egg

    We’re just a day away from Thor: Love and Thunder finally hitting theaters. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the upcoming film but with reviews at a strong 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, it does seem like we’re in for a fun ride once again from the crazy mind that is Taika Waititi. In a new fun set visit from Entertainment Tonight featuring Chris Hemsworth and Waititi showing off the set that is the backdrop of New Asgard. In it, he reveals a fun Thanos Easter egg

    In the background, we can see an ice cream store in New Asgard titled “Infinity Conez” with the Infinity Gauntlet sticking out of the building. If you look closely in the video, we can even see that the Infinity Stones are stuck in the ice cream cone it is holding. While it’s surprising anyone would try to market their store based on the one thing that destroyed half of all life in the universe, but it’s a fun idea nonetheless.

    There are also a lot of fun details included such as the logo for Infinity being designed after the Avengers movie logo. Who knows what else might be included in New Asgard, as the city became quite the tourist attraction. Who wouldn’t want to visit the location where the God of Thunder lived, one of the men that would save the planet from a threat unlike any other. Perhaps they have a place to chop off Thanos’s head with a fake Stormbreaker for kids to have something to do while visiting.

    Source: Entertainment Tonight

  • Marvel Studios President Always Believed Natalie Portman Would Return “If It Was An Interesting Role”

    Marvel Studios President Always Believed Natalie Portman Would Return “If It Was An Interesting Role”

    When Natalie Portman moved away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after her work on Thor: The Dark World had seemingly ended her working relationship with Marvel Studios. At least, that’s how the world viewed her exit from the franchise for many years. Many were surprised when she walked on stage to take on the mantle of Mighty Thor for Thor: Love and Thunder and it seems that Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, never saw it as a split.

    Kevin Feige highlighted in the interview with Empire that the external perspectives of Natalie Portman having exited the Marvel Cinematic Universe “didn’t feel that way to [him].” He goes on to highlight that “it was [his] impression that if it was an interesting role, she would be game.” There also wasn’t truly a story that seemed like the perfect time to bring her back, which wouldn’t be until

    Director Taika Waititi pitched the idea directly to Natalie Portman and was a big part of bringing her back to the franchise. It also wasn’t something he set out to include initially, but just developed while writing the story. So, we’re lucky that he had the inspiration o bring back the iconic character and give Portman‘s Jane Foster another run to give her something to work with. Here’s hoping it may also et up many more stories to come in the future giving us a look at how Mighty Thor finds her place within the MCU.

    Source: Empire via The Direct

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Tessa Thompson on How Stan Lee Inspired Her Valkyrie

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Tessa Thompson on How Stan Lee Inspired Her Valkyrie

    All eyes have been on Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth as the leading Thors of Love and Thunder. Yet, we also have the returning Tessa Thompson as the wonderful Valkyrie. After taking over kingship following thor’s travel into space, she’s been quite busy and we’ll see a new version of the character. Thompson offered some insight during the official press conference into how she approached the character going in and what it means to be a hero.

    It’s been really fun.  I mean, the thing that I’ve really enjoyed about these films, and certainly I think something that Stan Lee talked a lot about, whether it’s a villain or a hero. The thing sometimes that connects them to their power, whether it’s used for good or bad, is actually their trauma. 

    Tessa Thompson

    She also relates this approach when we first met Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok, where she was down on her luck.

    And so, when we first met Valkyrie, she had a tremendous amount of it, and she was dealing with that by drinking a lot.  And for Taika and I, we talked a lot about, like, upending what it looks like…what a female superhero looks like. That you sort of have this moment where she comes out, and you think it’s gonna be sort of that badass thing.  And then, she immediately falls over.  

    Tessa Thompson

    She also highlights how the biggest challenge was bringing this character to life and letting a former soldier become a hero; even comparing herself to how Chris Hemsworth tackles it with Thor.

    And that was really fun to both try to inhabit the spirit and the kind of physicality that it takes to be a hero, which is its own skill. It’s like, Chris is so tremendous at it. And you’re right. It’s not an easy thing to do. And that also, to allow her to be fun and sort of goofy. And it’s just been really nice. 

    Tessa Thompson

    “Fun and sort of goofy” sounds exactly like what one can expect from a film directed by Taika Waititi. It’s definitely going to be interesting to see where her journey leads her and the trailers have offered a promising tease of what the future might have in store for Valkyrie as the King of Asgard.

  • ‘Love and Thunder’s Chris Hemsworth on the Qualities of Thor He Finds Most Relatable

    ‘Love and Thunder’s Chris Hemsworth on the Qualities of Thor He Finds Most Relatable

    Taika Waititi certainly took Thor in a very different direction from Thor: Ragnarok. While some weren’t too pleased with the more comedic direction, it does seem like it reinvigorated the cast and crew to continue telling the story of the God of Thunder. Thor: God of Thunder will even be the first time that one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises gets the fourth entry.

    Chris Hemsworth got a chance to share why he continues to return to the role during the official press conference for the MCU sequel and what he finds so relatable to this new version of Thor.

    Yeah, no, definitely, especially since Taika got involved.  He brought out the immature, young, adolescent quality that I embody.  And so does Thor now, which he didn’t in the original films, which was exciting and new and fresh. And that’s, you know, always the sort of North Star is about having fun, you know. 

    Chris Hemsworth

    He goes on to highlight how they developed this project and started embracing what these characters all inherently should represent: fun.

    Embodying this space as a child would and enjoying all of it and being caught up in the wonder and the fascination of all of it. And not getting bogged down in the serious sort of nature that we can when making films, you know. Personally, with these kind of films, it’s got to be fun, and that’s what we’ve done.  That’s what I’ve related to. That’s what Taika’s kind of insisted upon, and it’s been fun.

    Chris Hemsworth

    He has stated that he ran out of energy with the character at a point. If it weren’t for Taika Waititi, we may have not seen Hemsworth in the MCU for as long as we did. And it seemingly also led to Hemsworth finding the part of himself that built a better connection with the character moving forward as he may still have some energy left to continue his journey through the franchise.

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ to Include Songs from Guns N’ Roses, ABBA, Dio, and More

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ to Include Songs from Guns N’ Roses, ABBA, Dio, and More

    As much as we love the soundtracks for the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, there’s also something great about hearing iconic songs as needle drop moments. Director Taika Waititi famously added Led Zeppelin‘s Immigrant Song into Thor: Ragnarok which added one of the film’s most iconic moments. Now, a new list has been revealed of twelve songs we can expect in his sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, which includes ABBA, Guns N’ Roses, and so many more.

    • Guns N’ Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
    • Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City
    • Ginger Johnson – Old Spice Sea Chanty
    • ABBA – Our Last Summer
    • Michael Raphael – Fighting
    • Enya – Only Time
    • Mary J. Blige – Family Affair
    • Ciara – Goodies
    • Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
    • Guns N’ Roses – November Rain
    • Dio – Rainbow in the Dark

    It’s definitely quite the line-up that’ll surely be promising for those hoping to see the Thor fourquel offer the perfect atmosphere like the trailer. Guns N’ Roses seemed like a sure addition, as it’s been hinted at that it’s been an influence on the film’s general style and direction. It’s definitely looking to be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s more stylized fares and if it hits the right notes, these needle drops may be stuck in our minds long after we leave the theaters.

    Source: The Direct

  • Marvel Studios President Reveals Why Thor is the MCU’s First Fourth Parter

    Marvel Studios President Reveals Why Thor is the MCU’s First Fourth Parter

    Thor will be the first Marvel Studios franchise to get the fourth installment treatment with Thor: Love and Thunder. Taika Waititi is back in the directing chair, who took over with Thor: Ragnarok. He took the franchise in a completely new direction; focusing more on Chris Hemsworth‘s comedic chops. In the official press conference for the upcoming Marvel film, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed why Hemsworth‘s Thor is the first to get four entries.

    I think they respond to Chris Hemsworth, and I think they respond to everything that he can do. And Taika certainly brought another dimension that was always there within Chris.  There were moments, even going back to EPK interviews between the two of them on our New Mexico set, where Chris was…  I was like, “Is he trying to be funny?  Or is it…?  No, he is being funny.  He’s, like, hilarious.”  And beginning to…  And I saw a clip of Ultron the other day, where he’s trying to make Ruffalo feel better about smashing a bunch of people, and it’s so funny. 

    Kevin Feige

    Age of Ultron definitely set up Thor’s future in a more comedic role, even The Dark World; faults and all; had some hilarious moments when the Odinson brothers interacted. So, it was luckily Taika Waititi that approached Marvel and told them to make use of Hemsworth‘s comedic chops.

    And it’s so…  it’s like this expert timing.  And Taika was like, “What are you guys doing with him just, you know, holding a hammer up with lightning?  Let’s do that and tap into everything Chris can do.” So, I think the audience responds to that.  And for so long, we said, “Well, he’s a Norse god.  How do we make him relatable?”  And spent so much time, I think, making sure that the audience connected with him, that they are so with him now that yes, we could go to a part four.

    Kevin Feige

    They certainly put in the work and it’s great to see Chris Hemsworth enjoy his time with the character. He especially was happy for the new direction with the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who’ll definitely set up a new dynamic. Plus, we also have the already comedic-focused Guardians of the Galaxy joining this time around, who are definitely going to add some unique flair and comedy bits. Early reactions definitely teased Waititi‘s comedic chops are at a new high and it’ll definitely be interesting to see if there might even be a fifth installment in his future.

  • ‘Thor 4’s Gorr Design Was Changed to Avoid ‘Harry Potter’ Comparison

    ‘Thor 4’s Gorr Design Was Changed to Avoid ‘Harry Potter’ Comparison

    There isn’t a day that Twitter and Social Media are ablaze with discussions on just how accurate the adaptations of Marvel Studios’ latest venture are. As the studio has always taken liberties with designs, it has hit a new fever pitch with Thor: Love and Thunder‘s Gorr the God Butcher. There have been many theories on why they changed him to a more humanoid design and it turns out the reasoning is quite simple.

    In an interview with IGN, director Taika Waititi revealed that Love and Thunder‘s design for Gorr was changed due to the similarities with Harry Potter‘s Voldemort. So, they wanted to avoid people making the connection and kept the focus on what made the character iconic, the sword and his story.

    His face in the comics, unfortunately, does kind of resemble Voldemort. So I was like ‘people are just automatically going to make that connection.’ So we decided to depart from that design and sort of keep elements of the tone, and the fact that he had the sword. Really, it was his story that was the most important thing for us

    Taika Waititi

    They definitely took a different direction with the design, especially with how he kept his nose. Yet, it does seem strange they wouldn’t want him to be more alien considering his origins in the comics. There’s a chance they took a more humanoid direction due to how he connects to the Gods. With his clothes, he may even be part of the Greek pantheon’s new home world that led to this very connection being made. Whatever it may be, we may know more in just a few more days.

    Source: IGN via The Direct