Though the previous film in the series, “Thor: Ragnarok,” was pretty light in tone, with filmmaker Taika Waititi injecting his own brand of off-beat humor and silliness to the proceedings, the upcoming “Thor: Love & Thunder” has the opportunity to bring a fairly heavy, emotional story to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And according to a new interview with Variety, star Natalie Portman is excited to see that come to fruition.
The upcoming ‘Love & Thunder’ is said to include Portman’s character, Jane Foster, gaining the powers of Thor as she gets ahold of his trusty hammer. It’s clearly based on a recent comic book storyline that saw Foster become Mighty Thor while battling breast cancer. And it’s in that cancer story that Portman sees the opportunity to bring something new to the MCU and the superhero genre.
“It’s just very rare that these kinds of big entertainment films look at more serious, real-life issues,” she said. “I really don’t know anything about it. I haven’t seen anything, but I’ve heard the same rumors as you have, and it’s exciting to think about.”
Portman also took the time to compliment one of her superhero cohorts, Brie Larson, who recently led the first female-fronted solo Marvel film, “Captain Marvel.” Portman said that she has been inspired by Larson’s work in the film, but also her off-screen dedication.
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“I was actually really inspired by her training for ‘Captain Marvel,’” she said. “It was so incredible what she was able to do.”
The decidedly diminutive Portman is expected to have quite a bit of training of her own for the upcoming ‘Thor’ sequel, as she is set to inherit Mjolnir, the hammer that imbues its owner with the powers of the God of Thunder. In the past, we’ve seen macho guys like Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans wield the hammer, and those are mighty big boots to fill for Portman.
“Thor: Love & Thunder” arrives in theaters on November 5, 2021.