Russell Crowe scores role in Thor: Love and Thunder

Could Asgard's band of merry players be getting a gladiator?

Russell Crowe will appear in an unspecified role in Marvel Studios' Thor: Love and Thunder, which is currently in production in Australia with director Taika Waititi and stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson and Christian Bale.

The fourth Thor movie has lined up several A-list cameos already, with Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth and Sam Neill all reprising their appearances in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok as Asgardian actors playing versions of Loki, Thor and Odin. Melissa McCarthy was also recently photographed shooting a scene as the Ragnarok villain Hela (as first played by Cate Blanchett).

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Whether Crowe will join them remains unclear, but he will be part of an already sprawling cast for Love and Thunder. Beyond Bale (who is playing the villain Gorr the God Butcher), Waititi is also reprising his role as the rocky alien Korg, Jaimie Alexander is returning as the Asgardian warrior Sif, and Chris Pratt and Karen Gillan are reprising their Guardians of the Galaxy roles as Star Lord and Nebula, respectively.

The film's specific logline is under wraps, but we do know that Portman will be playing the Mighty Thor, taking from a Marvel comic's storyline in which Thor's longtime love interest Jane Foster finds herself imbued with the power of Thor. Waititi wrote the script with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great).

Thor: Love and Thunder is scheduled to premiere on May 6, 2022.

Deadline first reported the news.

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