A brief description was previously revealed by Marvel Studios, but EW now has a proper breakdown of the full Thor: Ragnarok plot, which picks up from the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
In the film, Thor will arrive in Asgard after hearing about trouble in his home world, and when he arrives he finds Loki’s style of ruling (while impersonating Odin) has led to some lapses in the rules and leads to the freeing of prisoner Hela. Thor and Hela naturally come to blows when they meet, which sees Thor “blasted” to Sakaar, described as “a barbaric planet ruled by the charming but nefarious Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum).” There he meets Valkyrie, who is hiding out on the planet, and brings him to the Grandmaster to make him a gladiator, where he meets the most popular competitor in the arena, The Hulk, and loses his trademark hair and hammer.
“He’s much more of a character than the green rage machine you’ve seen in the Avengers movies,” Ruffalo said of The Hulk. “He’s got a swagger. He’s like a god.”
After the two Avengers reunite, the film turns into a road trip. EW reports director Taika Waititi took inspiration from movies like 48 HRS., Withnail and I, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Along the way, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange will make an appearnce and the film will lay the groundwork for the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War. Waititi did note to the outlet, however, that Ragnarok isn’t just a “set up” movie, but it reinvents the Thor franchise.
“A lot of what we’re doing with the film is, in a way, kind of dismantling and destroying the old idea and rebuilding it in a new way that’s fresh. Everyone’s got a slightly new take on their characters, so in that way, it feels like [this is] the first Thor.”
Thor: Ragnarok will feature the return of Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder himself, with Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Sir Anthony Hopkins again portraying Odin. The film also stars Cate Blanchett as the death-obsessed Hela, Jeff Goldblum’s eccentric Grandmaster, Tessa Thompson as hero Valkyrie and Karl Urban as Skurge.
Kevin Feige will produce the film, joined by executive producers Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Thomas M. Hammel and Stan Lee. The screenplay hails from Stephany Folsom, Craig Kyle, Eric Pearson and Christopher Yost.
Thor: Ragnarok will smash its way into theaters on November 3, 2017.
