Tons of A-list actors have been joining the ranks of the MCU as of late – including serious award buzz types such as Jake Gylennhaal in Spider-Man, Salma Hayek in The Eternals, Mahershala Ali as Blade, and the return of Natalie Portman to play the Mighty Thor in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Could the Thor 4 writer/director be recruiting more star power with La La Land and Drive actor Ryan Gosling?
On Friday, Taika Waititi met with Ryan Gosling for lunch in Los Angeles, ahead of the production of Thor: Love and Thunder set to begin in early 2020. Fans naturally jumped to their hopes to see the two-time Oscar nominee join the MCU, but what are the chances the meeting was regarding Thor 4? Below is the pair walking out of the lunch, per Just Jared:
Their meet-up took place on Taika Waititi’s 44th birthday, so maybe Gosling was just treating the Ragnarok creative to a birthday pick-me-up in Los Angeles? However, the two don’t seem to have a public history as friends or collaborators. Gosling had previously been rumored to be in talks with Marvel, allegedly for the role of Doctor Strange in the past, but he’s largely passed off any interest in taking on a superhero role.
I could see Ryan Gosling signing up for Taika Waititi’s specific brand of storytelling, maybe as a one-off supporting character to add some comedy and color to the world established in Ragnarok. Gosling could take on a role like Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster: a small but memorable performance that didn’t require a huge commitment for Goldblum.
Ryan Gosling currently doesn’t have any project in the works since having a busy last few years as the star of First Man, Blade Runner 2049, La La Land, and The Nice Guys. He also has two children (ages three and four) with Eva Mendes, so he could be taking some time away to focus on family.
Taika Waititi also has another project in the works besides Thor: Love and Thunder as well. He’ll be adapting soccer British documentary Next Goal Wins for Fox Searchlight. Maybe the meeting could be about this project? Next Goal Wins primarily centers on Samoan soccer players and their older coach… so my bet's on Thor 4 over this drama, even though it’s more Gosling’s M.O.
Waititi recently finished up the script for Thor: Love and Thunder and it already has a packed cast, also including Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. My other reservation about this rumor is it’s quite rare for Marvel news as big as Ryan Gosling joining the MCU to leak so easily.
Ryan Gosling would be a huge and incredible addition to the cast! What do you think? Is the actor being recruited for Thor: Love and Thunder? Sound off in the comments!
