Natalie Portman cast as female Thor
It’s official – Oscar-winning Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman is a goddess, or at least she’ll play one in the new installment of the Thor series, Thor: Love and Thunder, which will be released in 2021.
Her participation in the upcoming Thor movie was announced on Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con.
Portman – who played astrophysicist Jane Foster, Thor’s love interest, in the first two installments of the Thor franchise but was absent from the third film, reportedly due to creative differences with the masters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – will play a female Thor this time around, opposite her co-star from the previous films, Chris Hemsworth, as well as Tessa Thompson. Taika Waititi, who helmed the third Thor
film, Thor: Ragnarok, will direct again.
Handed a toy version of Thor’s famous hammer at Comic-Con, Portman joked, “I’ve always had a little hammer envy.”
Portman gushed about the new role on her Instagram account, alongside a photo of her holding the hammer next to Waititi: “So thrilled to share the news with you today at #sdcc2019 that I’ll be returning to the @marvel #mcu as female Thor with legends @taikawaititi @tessamaethompson and @chrishemsworth. (Remember this as the before picture for when I get jacked).”
The actress has always balanced her more serious roles, such as her Oscar-winning turn as a ballet dancer questioning her sanity in Black Swan, with roles in blockbusters, including the Star Wars franchise, in which she played Padmé in the Star Wars films from 1999-2005.