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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever expanding place, and fans are eager to see Phase Four kick off with Black Widow. There are a ton of highly anticipated projects coming down the pipeline, including Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder. The blockbuster will mark the first time a hero got four solo flicks, and will also see the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster/ Mighty Thor. And now it looks like production might be gearing up to start filming.
Thor: Love and Thunder is intended to be the fifth installment in Phase Four, expected to arrive after Spider-Man 3. Fans are eager to see what Taika Waititi will bring to the MCU in his sophomore effort, which will include the Guardians of the Galaxy and Natalie Portman's character. And now that Portman and her family recently arrived in Sydney, fans are thinking that Love and Thunder might be starting production sooner than we'd thought.
This latest report comes to us from the Daily Mail, and isn't a concrete confirmation of Thor 4's filming. Still, it's notable that Natalie Portman would transport her entire family to Sydney in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has otherwise kept her isolation from home. And considering that Thor: Ragnarok was filmed in Australia at the behest of its star Chris Hemsworth, it stands to reason that Love and Thunder would follow suit-- especially since many studios in the U.S. remain closed. Although Portman previously mentioned that she expected to return to the MCU to film in the beginning of 2022, so this would be a big change.
After sets around the world were shut down due to the Coronavirus, the entertainment industry came to a screeching halt. But blockbusters have been able to resume filming abroad, with projects like Avatar 2 and Jurassic World: Dominion returning to work. If Taika Waititi and company wanted to begin work in Thor: Love and Thunder, now seems like a great time to bring the cast to Sydney and hit the ground running.
Thor's time in the MCU is currently available on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
It might seem unlikely that Thor: Love and Thunder would start filming before Spider-Man 3, but it wouldn't be the first time that the MCU filmed projects out of sequence. For instance, Captain Marvel was filmed after Infinity War and Endgame, while it was sandwiched between the two blockbusters upon its release. And with Tom Holland's Uncharted filming underway after a months-long delay, it makes sense that Marvel Studios might be skipping Spider-Man's threequel for the time being.
Thor: Love and Thunder is one of the most highly anticipated projects coming down the pipeline for the MCU. Taika Waititi brought new to life to the franchise with Ragnarok, so fans are eager to see what he'll bring to the table this time around. There are a ton of exciting narrative threads to pull from, including Thor's physical transformation, the inclusion of the Guardians, and Jane's transformation into a superhero. Plus, Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie is now the King of New Asgard, and will likely be looking for her Queen.
Thor: Love and Thunder is currently expected to arrive in theaters on February 11th, 2022. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
