Thor Love & Thunder Director Taika Waititi Teases Epic Cameos
Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi is teasing fans with the idea that the film will have some epic cameos for them to enjoy. During a new interview about Thor 4, Waititi was asked about the high bar he set with Thor: Ragnarok, pulling the likes of Matt Damon and Sam Neill for hilarious appearances. So, will Thor: Love and Thunder be able to meet fan expectations when it comes to delivering some big cameos? In word, Taika Waititi says, "Yes."
In a more serious explanation, Waititi says that he really does have to say as little as possible about surprise appearances in Thor 4, "Otherwise it won't be a cameo. You can't talk about it. Then they may as well be on the poster."
It has become a precarious balancing act for Marvel Studios to both keep fans wowed with novelty and surprises, while still delivering the necessary ingredients for the formula that Marvel movie fans pay to sse. These cameos are are a perfect example: they were an awesome little novelty in Thor: Ragnarok, but now they're an expectation in Thor: Love and Thunder. It's one of the only weak points in the MCU armor: the novelty wearing down into routine.
The other challenge of getting surprises into an MCU movie is preserving the secrecy, in a movie production that the whole world is watching. Thor: Love and Thunder has already revealed on big stunt-casting cameo in the form of Oscar-winner Russell Crowe, who will play Zeus, ruler of the godly realm of Olympus. Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth are expected back as Asgardian actors playing "Loki," "Odin," and "Thor" (respectively), with Melissa McCarthy expected to play "Hela," in the in-universe production of Thor: Ragnarok's story. In addition to those cameos, the Guardians of the Galaxy cast will be in part of the film, Jaimie Alexander's Sif if coming back, and some famous comedic actors (Ben Falcone, Jenny Morris, Simon Russell Beale) will also be appearing in the film in undisclosed roles.
Synopsis: Thor's retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who – to Thor's surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late.
Thor: Love and Thunder will be in theaters on July 8th.