Remind Me THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER opens July 8.

Primarily thanks to both the IRON MAN and CAPTAIN AMERICA movies, it’s long been assumed that solo hero adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would conclude after three chapters, but the God of Thunder has now destroyed that “rule” with a bolt of lightning. Following up THOR, THOR: THE DARK WORLD and THOR: RAGNAROK, Marvel officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 that THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER is going to be a part of the franchise’s Phase 4 slate.

With THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER set to open in AMC Theatres around the country in Summer 2022, there are some things you should know about the highly anticipated next chapter in the God of Thunder’s story, including the release date, the cast, and so much more.

Thor: Love and Thunder’s Release Date

When THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER was first announced in 2019, it seemed like we were only a couple of years away from seeing how things pick back up for Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder, but with multiple delays for a myriad of reasons, the movie’s original release date of November 5, 2021 has come and gone. In that time, we’ve seen multiple additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS and ETERNALS, but now the time has come and THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER will open in theatres on July 8, 2022. And while there is another MCU movie – DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS – and a Disney+ Marvel series – “Moonknight” – debuting before Thor lands in theatres, there isn’t much time before we see Asgard’s favorite son in action once more.

The Thor: Love and Thunder Director

Back in late 2015, Marvel Studios decided to take a gamble on writer/director Taika Waititi. The filmmaker, who has since won an Academy Award® for his JOJO RABBIT screenplay, had never taken the helm of a blockbuster before, but his work impressed the company to the point where they offered him the opportunity to direct THOR: RAGNAROK. A little over two years later, the movie wound up becoming one of Marvel’s biggest hits, so it's no surprise that the studio wanted to catch lightning in a bottle a second time and Waititi was rehired for THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER.

Is Natalie Portman in Thor: Love and Thunder?

Not counting her incredibly brief appearance in AVENGERS: ENDGAME, it has been nearly a decade since Natalie Portman has been featured in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film — but that streak will come to an end in July 2022. And not only is Portman set to return as Jane Foster in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, but it’s also been confirmed that she will become the new God of Thunder at some point in the movie. It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 that the new movie will be a loose adaptation of writer Jason Aaron’s modern run of “Thor” comics and will feature Jane Foster wielding the special hammer Mjolnir and becoming Mighty Thor. Additional details about Foster and her role in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER have followed in the nearly three years since her grand return was first announced, adding even more anticipation to the forthcoming superhero movie.

Who Will Be Thor: Love and Thunder’s Villain?

While Marvel Studios has announced that Taika Waititi will be writing the script for THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, in addition to directing it, we have very little clue as to exactly what he’s working on in that department. Beyond the presence of certain characters and aforementioned developments, nothing has been revealed about the plot of the film, though we do know who will be playing one of the film’s antagonists.

In 2020, it was confirmed that Christian Bale, who portrayed one of DC Comics’ biggest heroes in Christopher Nolan’s DARK KNIGHT trilogy, would be joining the MCU. Later that year, Marvel revealed that Bale wouldn’t be suiting up as one of the film’s heroes, but instead will be playing Gorr The God Butcher, a villain with a depressing backstory who vows to kill all known gods in the universe, including Thor.

The Thor: Love and Thunder Cast

Just because Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster is becoming Mighty Thor doesn’t mean that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is totally leaving the original Thor in the dust. Instead, Chris Hemsworth has been confirmed to return and continue his character’s arc coming out of the events of AVENGERS: ENDGAME. It has also been confirmed that Tessa Thompson will be back to reprise her role as Valkyrie, which is significant given that the last we saw her she was being crowned the new ruler of Asgard.

And, as mentioned, Christian Bale is confirmed to play Gorr The God Butcher.

But that’s not all, as the Guardians of the Galaxy, or the Asgardians of the Galaxy if you will, are expected to join Thor, Jane Foster, and Valkyrie in their next set of adventures, including Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, and Vin Diesel. There’s still no word on if Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana will be reprising their roles of Rocket Raccoon and Gamora, respectively, but we’ll see.

Is There a Thor: Love and Thunder Trailer?

Even though the film will be opening in theatres pretty soon, we do not yet have a trailer for THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. This is just speculation, but there’s always a chance we will get to see the first trailer along with the release of DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, just like how that film’s first trailer was included as a post-credits scene in SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME.

There are still many things we don’t know about THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, so stay tuned for more updates as we prepare for the movie to open in AMC Theatres.

Remind Me THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER opens July 8.