Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok is a sequel to Thor: The Dark World and is the seventeenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has Thor and the Hulk teaming up with Loki to save Asgard from Hela. It will be part of Phase 3.

Plot
Thor's devious brother, Loki, has taken over Asgard, the powerful Hela has emerged to steal the throne for herself and Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe. To escape captivity and save his home from imminent destruction, Thor must first win a deadly alien contest by defeating his former ally and fellow Avenger the Incredible Hulk!.

Cast

 * Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson
 * Tom Hiddleston as Loki Laufeyson
 * Cate Blanchett as Hela
 * Idris Elba as Heimdall
 * Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster
 * Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
 * Karl Urban as Skurge the Executioner
 * Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
 * Lou Ferrigno as the voice of the Hulk
 * Anthony Hopkins as Odin Borson
 * Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif
 * Ray Stevenson as Volstagg
 * Zachary Levi as Fandral
 * Tadanobu Asano as Hogun
 * Taika Waititi as Korg
 * Rachel House as Topaz
 * Clancy Brown as Surtur
 * Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange
 * To-be-confirmed actor as Miek
 * Jasper Bagg as a to-be-confirmed character
 * Sam Neill as a to-be-confirmed character

Continuity and References to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

 * Hela is introduced.
 * Surtur is introduced.
 * Skurge is introduced.
 * The Grandmaster is introduced.
 * Fenris Wolf is introduced.
 * Valkyrie is introduced.
 * Hel is introduced.
 * Korg is introduced.
 * Miek is introduced.
 * Topaz is introduced.


 * The Warriors Three appear.
 * Sif appears.
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk appears.
 * Odin Borson appears.
 * A Quinjet appears.
 * The Sanctum Sanctorum is mentioned.

Production
In October 2013, While promoting the release of Thor: The Dark World, Chris Hemsworth stated that he is contracted for another Thor film. Also in the month, Kevin Feige stated that certain elements at the end of The Dark World hint at a direction for a possible third film, adding, "We definitely have a story we’d like to tell."

In January 2014, Marvel announced that Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost would write the screenplay for the film.

In July 2014, Feige stated the story was in the process of being outlined.

In October 2014, in talking about Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hemsworth stated that his next film "won’t be Thor 3 — that will be the following year". Also in October, Feige announced that the film, titled Thor: Ragnarok, would be released on July 28, 2017 and confirmed that Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston would reprise their roles as Thor and Loki. Feige called the film "a very important movie for us in Phase 3" and stated it would pick up after the events of Age of Ultron.He also confirmed that, in the context of the film, "the word Ragnarok means "the end of all things".

In February 2015, Marvel pushed back the release date to November 3, 2017.

In April 2015, Feige said the film was being scripted and Marvel was expecting a draft soon.

In June 2015, Feige stated that filming would begin in mid-2016, and that a director, additional screenwriter and casting announcements would be revealed "towards the end of the summer".

In July 2015, Jaimie Alexander confirmed she will be reprising her role as Sif.

By October 2015, Taika Waititi entered in negotiations to direct Thor: Ragnarok. Other directors under consideration included Ruben Fleischer, Rob Letterman, and Rawson Marshall Thurber. By mid-October, Mark Ruffalo was finalizing a deal to reprise his role as Bruce Banner / Hulk from previous MCU films, with multiple news outlets also confirming Waititi as director.

In December 2015, Marvel hired Stephany Folsom to work on the script for the film.

In February 2016, Cate Blanchett was confirmed as Hela.

In April 2016, Tessa Thompson was cast in an unspecified role while Natalie Portman was revealed to not return as Jane Foster.

In May 2016, Marvel officially confirmed the casting of Tessa Thompson as Valkrye, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Tom Hiddson as Loki, Anthony Hopskins as Odin and Idris Elba as Heimdall. Additionally, Karl Urban will portray The Executioner while Jeff Goldblum will portray The Grandmaster, respectively. In regards to Lady Sif being abscent from the cast list, Jaimie Alexander sent out a tweet saying "Don't Worry ;)".

In September 2016, actor Sam Neill confirmed he had a role in the film.

Filming
Filming began in June 2016 in Australia and Georgia.

Trivia

 * Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost were originally hired to write the script for the film in 2014.
 * In Norse mythology, "Ragnarok" refers to a doomsday scenario; a battle that causes the deaths of most of the major gods, including Thor, Odin, Loki and Heimdall, and ultimately concludes with the end of the universe.
 * In the comics, Ragnarok is a robotic clone of Thor, created by Tony Stark, Hank Pym and Reed Richards to assist in the Marvel "Civil War" event. The real Thor was on Asgard during the war, and was displeased when he found out he had been impersonated. He later encountered the robot and destroyed it after a lengthy battle.
 * Kevin Fiege explained at the Marvel Event in October 2014 that 'Ragnarok' meant "The end of all things" and that this film will have a similar impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe as 'The Winter Soldier' did in 2014 with the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Jaimie Alexander revealed that Captain America: Civil War will play a key role in setting up this film.
 * Jaimie Alexander has stated in an interview that she may not appear in the film as Lady Sif, due to her commitment on the TV series Blindspot.
 * Although the movie's title will more likely refer to the actual "Twilight of the Gods", there is also a character in the comics named Ragnarok, who is a cyborg clone of Thor.
 * Early production rumours suggested that Kenneth Branagh would be returning to the helm to direct this film having directed Thor back in 2011, however Marvel producer Kevin Fiege has since denied those claims.
 * The studio hired Taika Waititi over Ruben Fleischer, Rob Letterman and Rawson Marshall Thurber to direct the film.
 * Thor is the only Marvel Studios franchise to have three different directors for each film: Kenneth Branagh directed Thor and Alan Taylor directed Thor: The Dark World.
 * This is the first film in the Thor trilogy that Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster, and Erik Selvig won't appear.
 * Cate Blanchett and Karl Urban are the 11th and the 12h actors from the J.R.R. Tolkien films to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
 * Karl Urban is the fifth actor from the Star Trek franchise to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
 * The film will loosely adapt the Planet Hulk arc from the comics.
 * Eric Pearson was a production writer on set.
 * Director Taika Waititi wanted John C. Reilly's Rhomann Dey to appear in the film.
 * Taika Waititi said in a Reddit AMA that he was unsure if he'd return for a sequel and that it would be a "dream come true" to return to do more short films, even going on to say for Marvel to call him for "more One Shots."