Thor: Love and Thunder

In Marvel Studios' Thor: Love and Thunder, the God of Thunder embarks on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced - one of self-discovery. But his efforts are interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who - to Thor's surprise - inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together they venture out on a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late.

Thor: Love and Thunder is directed by Taika Waititi from a screenplay by Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum produce, joined by executive producers Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brian Chapek, Todd Hallowell and Chris Hemsworth.

Waititi made his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) directorial debut with 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, a comedic, cosmic adventure that was a departure for the God of Thunder, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth.

"I don't think it's far-fetched to expect change in a character like Thor," says Waititi. "He's been around for a long time, so there's time for him to go through different phases. I was relieved when I knew how high he was testing in the 'Ragnarok' screenings, but it was also a sense of pride that we'd managed to reinvent this character in a way that made the film do well but also made people want to see more of him."

Since 2011, Thor has appeared in seven MCU features as well as Marvel Studios' "What If ...?" animated series, becoming the first character to lead four franchise films. To fans around the world, Chris Hemsworth simply is Thor, and yet he still feels compelled to explore and evolve his role. "There was a huge amount of pressure coming into this," admits Hemsworth. "Thor is the only character to make a fourth film so far, so I wanted to do something different. I want to always do better with this character."

"One of the cool things about Marvel films is this ability to embrace various genres within a single film," says Waititi. "It keeps audiences guessing, and the characters within these different genres then feel different all the time. When we came up with 'Thor: Love and Thunder,' we knew the fans would really freak out about it, and it really does suggest a lot of what the film is about."

"What sets this movie apart is that, at its heart, it's a love story," says Chapek. "We've seen Thor grow so much over the years. After the events of 'Avengers: Endgame,' we started to see cracks in his armor. He started to feel some ownership over all the people he's lost in his life."

Love is a resounding theme that carries throughout the film, but Waititi and team most definitely bring the thunder. "'Thor: Love and Thunder' feels similar to 'Ragnarok' in terms of tone and style, but we wanted to double down on how vibrant and crazy the worlds are and the situations we put Thor in," says Waititi. "Because when you're dealing with outer space and a Viking, if you run and embrace that incredible combination as the thing that powers the story, you're only really limited by your imagination."

When Thor first appears in Avengers: Endgame, he's clearly experiencing an existential crisis, having recently suffered a series of brutal blows. He's lost family and friends, his home of Asgard, Mjolnir and his battle with Thanos - not to mention his god-like physique. He's also lost his will to lead, as King of New Asgard, and after Iron Man's snap restores the Universe, Thor bestows his title upon Valkyrie and hitches a ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy. "Thor travels off with the Guardians and - much to their discomfort and irritation - plants himself firmly in the center of their posse and tries to dictate how things should be run," says Chris Hemsworth.

Director Taika Waititi says he takes inspiration from the film's main character. "I really feel like Thor, more than any other character in the MCU, lends himself towards big, inventive, colorful creatures from different worlds," he says. "He has a casualness and a sort of swagger about him when he encounters these aliens."

But no matter the size of his conquests, Thor's internal void is even bigger. He declares his Super Hero days over and sets out to discover the man he's truly meant to be. "Most people who are trying to find themselves are running away from something," says producer Brad Winderbaum. "What he's running from is love because, in his experience, everyone he loves dies. Whether or not he can articulate it, he believes he's cursed."

Marvel Studios executives, filmmakers and fellow actors credit Hemsworth with the widespread popularity of his character, Thor Odinson, a major player in the MCU. "Chris is the living embodiment of Thor," says Winderbaum. "Not only is he ripped, handsome and charismatic, he makes you feel like you're part of his team. He is a great collaborator and wildly intelligent."

Winderbaum continues, "Audiences may watch these movies and think the VFX are the key to these worlds coming to life, but it's really the actors. Many times, we've shot Chris in front of a green screen with nothing around him except wardrobe and the hammer, and it's his performance that takes us to the fiery planet of Muspelheim or the streets of Sakaar. He's a sweet guy with a really big heart, and he brings true soul to the character of Thor."

Natalie Portman, who plays opposite Hemsworth in her third "Thor" film, remarks, "It's incredible to watch Chris' talent. He's just so agile, moving from serious scenes to extreme comedy. He has such incredible comedic talent. And he has such a quick brain for changing things, assimilating information, reacting in a creative way and coming up with new ideas. He's so committed and works so hard, and it's really, really impressive to watch him work. I always have to remind myself that I have to act in a scene, and I can't just be an audience."

Christian Bale, who was called on to portray a complicated antagonist in the new film, found his new co-star instantly accessible. "What a ridiculously good guy he is," says Bale. "He absolutely kills it in this film. It's so much easier to play the villain than it is to play the hero, and Chris does such a bloody good job." For Tessa Thompson, Hemsworth's work style and approach to the character generates more than just a great film. "I think getting to see someone who's played a character for so long but is constantly reimagining the character is exquisite to work alongside," says Thompson, whose first film with Hemsworth was Thor: Ragnarok. "We just have so much fun together. It's amazing to work with someone that cares so much about what they do, cares so much about a character, and is brave enough to try things and see what sticks."

Unfortunately, Thor's seclusion is short-lived, as a terrifying new foe threatens to upend the galaxy. Gorr the God Butcher has waged a war on the gods, killing them one by one in a carefully plotted course that's headed straight for New Asgard. Thor has faced off against countless enemies - from Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, to his sister Hela, the Goddess of Death, to Thanos, the Mad Titan - but filmmakers chose to raise the stakes even higher in Thor: Love and Thunder. "We needed to step up from Hela and find a villain who was somehow even more formidable," says director Taika Waititi, "and we found that in Gorr, who is played by the remarkable Christian Bale."

Bale, who was impressed by "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Jojo Rabbit," along with their director, says his decision to accept the role of Gorr and head to Australia came down to a kitchen-table talk. "I explained it would mean leaving Los Angeles, and my kids said, 'We're going!'" recalls Bale. "This is really the only film that my entire family has said I have to do."

Once a peaceful, pious man, Gorr experiences a crushing event that propels him on a mission fueled by his desperate need for revenge. "Gorr played by the rules, and so when he feels he's been betrayed by the gods, he's overtaken by a rage that hits such a fever pitch that he gains an evil, ancient power and sets out to rid the universe of these gods, who don't take care of their humans," says producer Brad Winderbaum.

Adds Bale, "Just the notion of this guy ... I mean, he's Gorr the God Butcher, right? The name kind of tells you who he is. Straight away, you know he's a serial killer bent on killing gods. But it's a lovely tale, actually. He's upset and confused, and comes to an epiphany."

Gorr's epiphany, based on deep and genuine feelings, is both alarming and-almost-understandable. When conceptualizing the character, Waititi wanted the audience to empathise with him and debate within themselves. "I think a lot of people will understand why he's doing what he's doing, and that it comes from a real place of anger, loss, hurt and sadness. It pushes him too far, but you understand why. I really fell in love with that character."

"There's so much drama and insanity around Gorr, but Christian Bale managed to pull the focus right into each moment," says Chris Hemsworth. "You can't take your eyes off him. The character is fascinating because, like all good villains, Gorr has a point. He may not be going about it the right way, but there's empathy in the script, and Christian brought so many more layers and so much more depth to Gorr."

Hemsworth's co-stars were also taken aback by Bale's performance, with Portman confessing, "All of us were actually a little scared in Gorr's presence," and Thompson revealing, "Christian as Gorr was mesmerising. He does that thing that Marvel villains do so well, which is that you see their villainy comes from pain, from some unprocessed trauma."

On his search for meaning, Thor makes a stunning discovery: Jane Foster, his ex-girlfriend and a world-renowned astrophysicist, has proven herself worthy of wielding his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor - a transformation that masks a very personal battle.

Natalie Portman, who portrayed Jane Foster in 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World, was thrilled about her return to the MCU. "Taika [Waititi] came over to my house to talk because I'd been out of the Marvel world for a while," says Portman.

"When he explained how Jane would become the Mighty Thor, it was fascinating to consider what that experience could be like. Working on the film was an exciting challenge because it was so improvisatory, and Taika really keeps you on your toes."

"To bring her back in this new iteration, in this storyline from 'The Mighty Thor' in which Jane Foster becomes a Super Hero, is exciting," says Waititi. "It's brilliant to see Natalie in a way that we don't expect. She's such a great actor, and in keeping with reinventing this franchise again and again, we didn't want to go back to seeing her in the same role.

We don't want to see her just being a scientist on Earth waiting for Thor." Adds executive producer Brian Chapek, "Jane is a really interesting character because she's human, but she gets this amazing power. How is she going to deal with having that power? I think audiences are going to be able to relate to Jane and her journey in a really meaningful way because she is a mortal who is dealing with very human issues."

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who wrote the screenplay with Waititi, believes Jane Foster's arc will resonate with audiences. "To put a Super Hero on camera who struggles with something beyond what a Super Hero typically battles is incredible. I think that was the most special thing that we got to adapt and bring to screen."

Thor: Love and Thunder also reveals more about Jane and Thor's relationship and eventual breakup, allowing both Hemsworth and Portman to showcase their comedic chops. "Natalie was hugely enthusiastic and up for anything collaborative, with a great sense of humor," says Hemsworth. "This is a very different direction for the character, so it was like a rebirth. She was down for it. It was so much fun."

In the village of New Asgard, King Valkyrie, portrayed by Tessa Thompson, tires of her leadership role. As the last surviving Valkyrie, Asgard's elite force of female warriors, she misses the old days, fighting alongside her sisters. So, when Gorr brings the battle to New Asgard, she doesn't hesitate to reunite with Thor and take on the God Butcher. "Playing a Super Hero who bucks convention, who is so strong and resilient, is amazing," says Thompson. "The truly exciting thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the idea that your superpower derives from the things that have happened to you, the traumas, the things that make you ostracised. But the things that make you different are also what make you spectacular."

Robinson claims Valkyrie as one of her favourite characters in Thor: Love and Thunder. "She's a queer character in the MCU. And something that was great, developed in conversations with Tessa and Taika, is that Valkyrie just is who she is. She is queer. She is king. She is Valkyrie. She is all these things at once. We didn't feel like we had to call anything out."

Waititi says the character has evolved but maintains the qualities that won fans over. "Although she's King of New Asgard, we still see that lightheartedness and that really fun anger that comes with the character as well." Joining the effort to halt Gorr is Thor's faithful sidekick - and everyone's favorite rock-like humanoid - Korg, voiced and motion-captured by director Taika Waititi himself.

"He's still loyal to Thor," says Waititi. "He's still got that innocence about him, where he always sees the positive in people. He's a very uplifting presence to have in the film, and I think that every film needs that."

Producer Brad Winderbaum adds, "Korg is such a wonderful, innocent soul stuck inside this tough, rocky exterior, so he's a character you instantly fall in love with. And he's so pure, but he is powerful and strong at the same time." However, Korg may have some competition for most adored sidekick given the newest additions to Thor's trusted circle of allies. "In my opinion, the goats are going to be the fan favourite of 'Thor: Love and Thunder'" says Robinson. "Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder are absolute stars."

Thompson rather strongly agrees. "I'm a really big fan of goats," she says. "This is verifiable on the internet. So, for me, the biggest thing when I read the script was that goats were officially entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it's high time. I'm happy for goats everywhere and for goat lovers everywhere like me." As Gorr blazes a deadly trail through the galaxy, Thor appeals to his allies, and his own ego, to put aside any differences and take up arms. The team even attempts to enlist the support of the legendary king of the gods, Zeus, played by Russell Crowe. Zeus spends his days living in excess in the Grand Pantheon in Omnipotence City and seems oblivious to the growing number of gods gone missing.

"I never thought I'd see the day where Russell would appear on screen with hints at 'Gladiator' imagery, yet with a wink, totally self-deprecating," says Chris Hemsworth. "He didn't hold back. I'm such a fan. I have been since I first started acting. There's such a weight and a seriousness to his performances and to him, as an individual, from afar. But meeting him, he has a great sense of humor and did whatever Taika asked on set, which was mind-blowing."

Natalie Portman also recalls her reaction to Crowe's embracive portrayal. "It was so much fun to see Russell Crowe play Zeus and have such a great sense of humor with the character," she says. "It was fun to see him be silly. I think we're so used to him in these very strong, heroic roles, so it was fun to see him be able to let loose." Thor will need all the help he can get to contend with the God Butcher. "Gorr is on a scorched-earth policy, and so what we have in 'Thor: Love and Thunder' are our heroes trying to stop a killer before he strikes again, traveling the cosmos, deducing where he's going to strike next and racing to protect his next victim," says Winderbaum.

"At Marvel Studios, every film is a new frontier," says producer Brad Winderbaum. "We want to make something exciting and new, and we want to delve even deeper into these characters. Thor is a very existential character, and one of the things audiences will see in 'Thor: Love and Thunder' is not just a hero who's funny, who gets out of situations using his wit and charisma, but a guy who feels very deeply."

Love is featured in the title, felt throughout the story and soaked into every frame of Thor: Love and Thunder owing to a stellar cast and crew who devoted 89 days to the Australia-based production beginning in January 2021. Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok, Extraction) returns to the title role of Thor, God of Thunder, joined by Oscar® winner Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Jackie) as Jane Foster/the Mighty Thor; Oscar winner Christian Bale (The Fighter, The Dark Knight) as the villainous Gorr the God Butcher; Tessa Thompson (Creed, Selma) as Valkyrie/King of New Asgard; Oscar winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, The Insider) as Zeus, king of the gods; Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) as Korg; and featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy - Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, and Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket.

Thor: Love and Thunder is the record-breaking fourth installment featuring Marvel's popular Norse Super Hero. The creative team includes Emmy®-winning director of photography Baz Idoine (The Mandalorian, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story); creature and prosthetic designer Adam Johansen (Mad Max: Fury Road, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales); Oscar®-nominated costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo (Avatar, Apocalypto); BAFTA-nominated visual effects supervisor/second unit director Jake Morrison (Marvel Studios' Ant-Man, Thor: The Dark World); hair department head Luca Vannella (Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame); makeup department head Matteo Silvi (The Last Duel, Avengers: Endgame); and stunt coordinator Kyle Gardiner (Thor: Ragnarok, Alien: Covenant).

Thor was once an arrogant and impulsive prince banished from Asgard by his father Odin. Since then, he's experienced tremendous growth and loss - haunted by the belief that anyone he loves will meet certain death. After the Battle of Earth, he relinquishes the throne of New Asgard and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. But when a new enemy emerges, who's intent on eliminating all gods, the God of Thunder must uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him. MCU veteran Chris Hemsworth once again portrays Thor.

"In 'Avengers: Endgame,' we see a pretty confused, lost version of Thor," says Hemsworth. "He's certainly better at the end of the film than he was at the start, but he still doesn't really know who he is or what his place is in the universe. And he decides he needs to search and take some time for himself."

Jane Foster/The Mighty Thor is a world-renowned astrophysicist who discovered Thor when he fell to Earth after his banishment from Asgard. Through the pair's undeniable connection, Thor gained newfound humility, respect for humanity, and the worthiness required to wield his magical hammer, Mjolnir, once again - not to mention a deep love for Jane. Their relationship ultimately ends and Jane was lost in the blip, but she reappears years later with a deeply troubling secret and newfound powers as the Mighty Thor. Natalie Portman tackles the dual role of Jane Foster and the Mighty Thor.

"In previous films, Jane was a scientist who needs help being saved by Thor, but in this film, she's seeking her own solutions and taking her own journey," says Portman. "She's fighting alongside Thor and they're a team, but Jane is very much paving her own path, which has been really exciting."

Gorr the God Butcher was a pious man who prayed dutifully to the deities. But after witnessing far too much death and destruction without intervention from the gods, Gorr is consumed with rage and sets out on a quest to rid the Universe of every last immortal. Christian Bale joins the MCU as the terrifying antagonist.

"Christian Bale is a tremendous actor, who came to this with a sense of both reverence for the character and a sense of play," says Tessa Thompson, who portrays Valkyrie. "He's terrifying. He's funny. He is one of my favourite onscreen villains ever, and he was really lovely to work with."

Valkyrie/King of New Asgard, the last of a group of female Asgardian warriors, escaped her painful past by becoming a scavenger on the chaotic waste planet of Sakaar. She reluctantly joined Thor to battle his sister, Hela, who ruthlessly claimed Asgard, and ultimately evacuated her fellow Asgardians to a seaside village dubbed New Asgard. Crowned King of New Asgard by Thor, she has led a quiet, rather dull life until Gorr the God Butcher threatens the safety of her people. Tessa Thompson returns to the MCU as Valkyrie.

"When we saw Valkyrie in 'Thor: Ragnarok,' she was struggling with a lot of guilt and pain," says Thompson. "She didn't really have much that she wanted to live for, besides what was at the bottom of a bottle. I think, this time around, you get to see her rediscovering her sense of purpose."

Korg is an effortlessly charismatic Kronan warrior who was forced to participate in the Grandmaster's contest of champions on the junk planet Sakaar. He led the rebellion against the Grandmaster, escaped Sakaar and helped Thor save the Asgardian people.

Korg has remained Thor's loyal companion through thick and thin, and now he's at his side once again to help Thor confront his greatest threat yet. Director Taika Waititi voiced and performed motion-capture for Korg.

"I think the good thing about Korg, in relation to all these other characters who are evolving and changing and got different jobs, is that Korg has not changed at all," says Waititi. "He's a very grounding force."

Zeus, the legendary king of the gods, fills his days with excess, basking in the easy admiration of the lesser gods in the Grand Pantheon in Omnipotence City. He's too preoccupied to notice the growing number of empty seats in the Pantheon - those of Gorr's victims - and appears to lack the motivation to track down the God Butcher. Russell Crowe was called on to fill Zeus' sandals.

Chapek applauds the casting of Russell Crowe as Zeus. "If you're going to introduce Zeus, you need someone who can walk in those shoes," he says. "Every day that Russell Crowe walked onto the set, he completely embodied Zeus. He had such a confident and commanding presence, but also delivered such a surprising sense of humor that was so fitting for this world."

The Guardians of the Galaxy, the eccentric band of intergalactic misfits led by half-human, half-celestial Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), joined forces with the Avengers to battle Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Post-blip, this unlikely family, which includes taciturn warrior Drax (Dave Bautista), assassin-turned-Avenger Nebula (Karen Gillan), insect-like empath Mantis (Pom Klementieff), humanoid tree creature Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and cybernetic raccoon Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), are instrumental in helping Thor confront the pain he's been avoiding.

Thor: Love and Thunder started production on Jan. 26, 2021, and was filmed primarily at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia, with location filming done in and around Sydney on the southeast coast of the continent. Principal and second unit photography occurred over a period of four-and-a-half months.

With Taika Waititi at the helm, there was never a doubt the film would be an uber imaginative, monumental undertaking. "When I step back and I look at this film from afar, it is so crazy, the combination of stuff," says Waititi. "Just to talk about the actors alone-we've got Oscar® winners, Natalie [Portman], Christian [Bale], Russell Crowe and me; all the Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris [Pratt], Pom [Klementieff], Dave [Bautista], Karen [Gillan], Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel; and when you look at the cast we can't reveal, it's gonna be nuts."

The native New Zealander adds, "There's a Viking ship being towed by giant goats through space, my character who is made of rocks, and Russell Crowe playing Zeus. On paper, it shouldn't work, but at the end of the shoot we've got a story that's funny with high stakes. I know I've got a really brilliant film on my hands."

Producer Brad Winderbaum believes that earlier in the MCU, outlandish ideas, such as Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, would have fizzled fairly quickly. "I think if you were starting a Thor franchise, they're probably the first idea that you'd throw in the garbage," admits Winderbaum. "But now that we're making the fourth installment of the franchise, we thought it would be a great idea to bring these goats to life."

Executive producer Brian Chapek believes the MCU has the ability to experiment with the absurd because of the credibility built with viewers over the past 14 years. "It's something that we've had to earn from the audience over time. I think if we started this universe with Thor riding on two goats, people might've found that a little too crazy. But it's a testament to all the filmmakers who paved the way for us. That's what sets us apart from other universes, other franchises-this idea of going from a grounded movie to something fantastic and cosmic in nature."

The MCU is known for its wild and wonderful creatures and environments-though much is often not fully realised until post-production. It's often up to the actors to form a mental picture of their unusual foes and surroundings. However, Thor: Love and Thunder is the first MCU film to employ a new technology, The Volume, which surrounds the actors in a 360-degree digital environment, rather than positioning them against a blue or green screen. Digital landscapes are completed to around 90 percent and then fine-tuned with live-action elements.

"This was an incredible opportunity to expand upon the universe that we're creating," says Chapek. "It allows you to create fully immersive worlds and to create a seamless effect between the real world and the digital world." Director of photography Baz Idoine had firsthand knowledge of The Volume as he had recently completed "The Mandalorian," which also utilised the technology. Idoine worked hand-in-hand with Jake Morrison, visual effects supervisor/second unit director, to perfect the sweeping, breathtaking digital sets.

"The Volume helped us create massive scales for the film," explains Morrison, who's worked on all of the prior "Thor" movies. "One of the biggest Volume sets was Omnipotence City, the home of the gods. When all the actors were in The Volume, they were able to see this incredibly expansive world. It sets the stage for the adventure that the characters are on."

Hemsworth touts the benefits of performing within The Volume. "It's been incredible," he says. "If you're standing on the edge of a cliff looking out at a sunset, to actually be staring into a sunset certainly pulls out emotions and reactions that you may not get using a blue or green screen. It's visually stunning because you get the actual reflection off the background, a nice orange glow on your skin from the sun. It's a beautiful interaction that occurs."

"The Volume is absolutely remarkable and sort of bizarre," adds Christian Bale. "It's an environment where you see everything as it is seen in the film all around you, and they can instantly change it to become a scene with a jungle or clouds. It's absolutely mind-blowing what they're able to accomplish."

Tessa Thompson found that working with the new technology freed her to focus on her performance by not having to convince herself and the audience that she was in a particular space. "The Volume makes it easier because you don't have to imagine what you're seeing," she explains. "You're looking at it, and it's beautiful. The way that it cast light onto our faces and costumes felt really immersive and otherworldly."

"Well, it's definitely a huge change to get to work with so many actual visuals as opposed to blue screens," says Natalie Portman. "When you're working off a visual reference on a computer and in a completely blue space, it requires so much imagination to create the entire world around you. Having The Volume was really, really helpful because it gave us a sense of what the world would look like."

Morrison recalls a scene in which Hemsworth and Waititi ascend a ridge and look out across a vast frozen tundra at an enormous beast. "I promise you, on any previous film, it would have been me standing at the back of the stage with a painter's pole with a tennis ball on the end of it. For the actors to be able to feel the scale, to feel that they're in this frozen world and to be able to react to it - it's very freeing. Otherwise, you're asking them to inhabit the theater of the mind too much. You are actually lighting them with the world that you're going to put them in, and they can actually mentally inhabit it."

However, the presence of The Volume still necessitated the construction of beautiful, nuanced real-life sets for portions of the story. According to Morrison, "During pre-production, we would decide whether it was a set to build physically or digitally. At the beginning of the process, I explained to Nigel Phelps, our production designer, that he shouldn't think of it as anything different to his normal process. He should design the sets as he would normally do."

"As great as technology is, you can never replace standing in a fully immersive, physical set," says Chapek. "One of the most impressive sets we created was New Asgard, which was a complete town. The second you stepped onto it, you would swear you were there in an actual town in Norway."

The King of Asgard, aka Thompson, agrees. "Every single storefront felt like somewhere you could walk into," she says. "It blew me away: the cobblestones, the attention to detail in the tiniest nooks and crannies that the audience might never see. As incredible as it is to see advances in technology, what's exciting is when you can match that with practical work. That was so exciting on 'Thor: Love and Thunder' because we had cutting-edge technology, but many, many people worked hundreds of hours to make something feel real. That is just incredible to get to work around."

Costume designer Mayes Rubeo deftly explains the necessity of collaboration while creating the character looks for Thor: Love and Thunder. "Well, on a project of this grand scale, it couldn't function well if all the creative parts were not interconnected," she says. "We had creative meetings with the director of photography, [director] Taika [Waititi], our producers, the creators, visual development, production designers, set decoration, hair and makeup. I mean, when I create a look, I create that whole, cohesive look. It has to be exactly the same DNA, and the only way to get that DNA is through communication."

It certainly helped that many members of the creative team had collaborated previously. Rubeo worked with hair department head Luca Vannella on Thor: Ragnarok; Vannella and makeup department head Matteo Silvi have known one another since they were teenagers and worked side by side in the MCU for five years; and all three teamed up on the action-adventure Apocalypto. Adam Johansen, creature and prosthetic designer, bonded with the trio on set. "Mayes is really inspirational and lovely, and Matteo and Luca are great guys," he says. "It's a big family, and I hope I can work with them again."

Their camaraderie can be seen in the countless seamless looks that appear in Thor: Love and Thunder, starting with the God of Thunder himself. "We go through many, many changes with Thor, around 25 changes throughout the movie," says Rubeo. "For instance, there's a beautiful raw-silk tunic made with an incredible print by an Aboriginal artist named Otis Carey, and then a very 1980s rocker look with a tank top, blue jeans and a sleeveless leather jacket. We bring back costumes from past movies and have progressions of Thor at all ages. So many costumes, and we have to ensure they function in the very intense action scenes in the movie."

"The costumes are crazy," admits Chris Hemsworth. "I have more costume changes in this than I think I've had in the last six films combined. Thor's sort of searching for his identity, and that's represented in his wardrobe. The costumes and the sets aesthetically match the energy of the film - they're another color to the painting." Vannella has been doing hair for Thor since Thor: The Dark World. "We play a lot with Chris' look on this film," he says. "We replicated his look from 'Avengers: Endgame'."

When he's in his leather jacket with this rock 'n' roll kind of look, we comb on the one side. When he's meditating under the tree, we gave him a Buddha top knot." Silvi enjoyed recreating some of Thor's classic looks. "For example, Thor had an eye scar after 'Ragnarok,' so we had to carry that through for his look in 'Love and Thunder,'" says Silvi. "My favourite is Thor with the laid-on beard and prosthetic suit."

Hemsworth definitely has thoughts on his various styles as Thor. "I liked the look in 'Avengers: Endgame' with the semi-dreadlock hair and the beard, but gluing the beard and the hair each day was the most uncomfortable look I've ever done," he says. "When we cut Thor's hair in 'Thor: Ragnarok,' I could just come in, get a bit of makeup and straight to the set. With this fourth film, we decided to give him long hair again."

When it came to the Mighty Thor, Mayes designed a look befitting a Super Hero worthy of Mjolnir. "The Mighty Thor is the female version of Thor," says Mayes. "Therefore, we took details from Thor, like the disc, as well as a black and red heart cuirass, red cape and helmet, which has the vintage feel of the old comic books."

"Mayes was absolutely incredible," says Natalie Portman, who embodied Mighty Thor. "I'm such a fan of her work, and I was so excited to get to work with her. She has an extraordinary eye for design. We started fittings early on and she really listened to my feedback about what felt good, so I could move and do the stunts I needed to do. Her whole team-they are such incredible artisans, and I worked with many of them on 'Star Wars' like 20 years ago. That was nice to revisit a lot of wonderful people."

As the Mighty Thor, Portman's hair is noticeably lighter than Jane Foster's, for good reason. "When Jane becomes the Mighty Thor, the idea is that the force of the hammer strips her hair blonde, but we kept the roots quite dark like when she was Jane," explains Vannella.

Tessa Thompson loved the variety of looks for Valkyrie. "I love a costume change," she says. "You get to see Valkyrie in these suited kingly looks, and then you get to see her in her pajamas, which I love. Because when have you ever seen a Super Hero in pajamas? Even heroes gotta sleep. Then, there's a change into her hero armor and to her hair, which coincides with the comics. I think that's what's really exciting about these films, in general, is to see the way in which characters evolve."Now that Valkyrie is King of New Asgard, Vannella switched up hairstyles a bit for Thompson. "For Tessa Thompson, we wanted to keep the same feel as 'Thor: Ragnarok' but with different texture," he says. "Instead of straight and sleek like it was on Sakaar, we gave her braids and more Viking-inspired looks, and blue hair at the back when she goes into battle."

Vannella estimates he used more than 200 wigs, plus countless hairpieces and braids; and Silvi describes his biggest challenge as doing makeup for more than 20 gods in Omnipotence City. Russell Crowe may have been one of their easiest clients in terms of hair and makeup. "Russell already had really long hair and a really long beard," says Silvi. "So, we styled his hair with curls, styled his beard as a Greek statue and tanned him up a bit to make him look like a Greek god. He made a great Zeus."

According to Thompson, Waititi wins the prize for most laughable look: "It's just a joy to watch Taika play Korg because, obviously, he's going back and forth between directing and playing Korg. And because it's motion capture, he has all these dots on his face.

So, you're trying to take him seriously in one moment as he gives you direction, and then suddenly he's Korg again with the head attached and furry boots."

Creature and prosthetic designer Adam Johansen had the challenge of designing prosthetics for some of the more unusual creatures and characters in "Thor: Love and Thunder." "At the start of the movie, we worked on the Indigarrians, the Booskans and the goats, Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder," he explains. "Then, the gods were really big for us, and, of course, I enjoyed working with Christian [Bale] as Gorr the God Butcher.

"The goats were huge in both scale and importance," continues Johansen. "They're the size of Clydesdale horses. It was a really big build for our team, and they did a fantastic job.

It was important for the goats to have a presence on set, and they may have been the trickiest thing we've done on this film. Kala Harrison led our goat team, and they painfully, individually punched hairs and dyed synthetic furs. The goats have a great presence, and the day we presented them on set, we got a good response."

The Indigarrians, an army of blue-skinned aliens, proved a massive task for Johansen and team. "It was really a production line for the Indigarrians," he says. "We had some days with really big numbers. People were sponging them blue, gluing on the prosthetics, spray-painting and powdering them. There was a tent of people applying different colors with spray guns - blues, beetroots, grays, speckling - building up the layers. It was really something to see. People going in pink and coming out blue."

For Johansen, all the work is rewarding but the creation and evolution of Christian Bale's character stands out in his mind. "Working with Christian was an amazing experience and a lovely journey," says Johansen. "I think he looks great, and I haven't seen anything like that in a Marvel film."

"Gorr is completely gray with multiple colors within that gray," says Johansen. "For his monster look, we covered up his eyebrows and gave him heavier brows, teeth, full nails, veining and scarification. I'd go in and give him black goo to knock out all the pinks in his mouth and on his tongue. He has a lot of different scars, indented scars like the keloid kind of scars."

For Bale, the additions that contributed to Gorr's ghastly appearance also proved difficult and somewhat comical to manage in real-life situations. "I now have such appreciation for ladies with the long acrylic nails," he says. "I was useless and pathetic. I couldn't do anything with them. Then there's me trying to talk to people with fangs in. I had to be incredibly clear and articulate."

Johansen adds, "We tested three days of the first week, revisiting different monster and human looks, until Christian was happy that he'd found the character. The process started off at about four, four-and-a-half hours, and we got it down to three-and-a-half.

We're so lucky we had Christian, who was always so focused on the makeup, wanting everything to be just right and giving us the time we needed." With 2:30 a.m. wake-up calls, Bale had quite a lot of time to bond with Johansen and his team as they painstakingly hand-crafted the look of Gorr the God Butcher. "Adam is a crazy, wonderful talent and his gang, Kala and Emily [James], are absolutely fantastic," says Bale. "They are as much responsible for my portrayal of Gorr as I am."

According to stunt coordinator Kyle Gardiner, "With [director] Taika [Waititi], the action is always very character- and story-driven. It's not action for the sake of action. We always try to design things that keep the story and characters moving forward."

One key story element in "Thor: Love and Thunder" is Thor's physical transformation from dad bod to god bod. And while Thor's melted-ice-cream physique in "Avengers: Endgame" was crafted from silicone and prosthetics, the sheer size and physicality presented in this film required a huge commitment from its star.

"This was particularly hard because the target weight we aimed for was quite a ways above where I'd been before," says Chris Hemsworth. "This was probably the biggest and fittest I've ever been. We had 12 months where I was at home just training and puppeteering the body and manipulating. We'd try more swimming, then try more martial arts, and adjust calories. It was a fun exploration. I got really big and fit, but then just had to hold it for four months, which was very hard."

Hemsworth's added weight and muscle mass also created some challenges. "When you start to carry the extra size, the physics of things change," explains Gardiner. "Chris' stunt double, Bobby Holland Hanton, is an ex-gymnast and Chris is very athletic as well. But you have to adapt to a new range of motion, especially for harness work." Tessa Thompson was astounded by Hemsworth's new look: "I'm like, 'how did you do it?' I thought when we made the last movie that he was the largest human that I have spent time with, and now he's bigger than that. That's been tremendous. It really is inspiring because he works really, really hard."

Thompson and Natalie Portman had remarkable metamorphoses of their own while preparing to portray the film's two female Super Heroes. "Natalie came in very early, ready to work and right in the wires," says Gardiner. "Maybe it's her dancer background or just her nature but she wanted to master everything. Tessa was much the same: trained and fit and ready to go. Then it was onto teaching them choreography, getting them in with the stunt team and refining the moves to fit the actors."

Portman was eager for the opportunity to train and show her strength as the Mighty Thor. "It was really fun to get to train, for the first time in my life, to be strong. As women, we're usually training to get as small as possible, so it's exciting to work towards being bigger. I worked with a great trainer, Naomi Pendergast, and also trained with the whole stunt team. Despite having been in lots of action movies, I'd never really done any fight training, so that was really exciting."

For Thompson, a return to her role as Valkyrie meant increasing muscularity and refreshing muscle memory for action sequences. "I've done a lot of physical preparation and I got really strong, which is the gift of doing a film like this," says Thompson. "On the last film, I had never done action in this way, so it was so much about learning how to wield the sword and that physicality. On this one, I felt really comfortable with the stunts and I just wanted to push myself to get even stronger. That's the work that no one sees. I mean, hopefully, you see it in my biceps."

Another benefit of stunt training for Thompson was the discovery of a new personal passion: horseback riding. "I read the script and was very excited that Warsong would be in this movie," she says. "In 'Thor: Ragnarok,' we saw Warsong briefly but in the context of a flashback where Valkyrie's sisters die and she becomes the last of her kind. It's beautiful - we shot it with me sitting on a real horse that VFX gave wings."

Thompson adds, "This time, we really get to see the emergence of Warsong. And for me, it's meant hours and hours of training. The incredible stuntwoman, Tara Macken, has done a tremendous job doing some of the more difficult tricks and really riding the horse. I have not done quite as much, as I'm not allowed, but I was very eager. So, on vacation, I went rogue and ran on a horse.

"When I came back to set, I convinced our incredible trainer, Graham Ware Jr., to let me run on a horse, and I have just really fallen in love with it," continues Thompson. "Our horse, Shadow, who appeared in the last film, trained for months."

From horseback riding to wirework to hand-to-hand combat, the actors and stunt team pull off some never-before-seen physical feats. "We always like to try and reinvent the wheel and push the boundaries," says Gardiner. "With this script, there was so much scope for imagination and creativity. I have a great team and we just let ideas flow to see what we could come up with. Talk about wirework, one sequence alone was over 60 different wire gags. It's incredibly demanding - demanding on the doubles, demanding on the stunt riggers and demanding on production. It takes time."

According to producer Brad Winderbaum, with songs from Guns N' Roses and a score from Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad, Thor: Love and Thunder simply rocks. "If Ragnarok was a 1980s synth-pop album, 'Love and Thunder' is a metal album," he says. "We knew we wanted a title that would evoke a 1980s rock 'n' roll feeling. And 'Love and Thunder' just seemed to do that."

The film's soundtrack features a range of music hand-selected to highlight story shifts, and it includes more than one hit from Guns N' Roses, the American hard rock band that Rolling Stone called "the most dangerous band in Los Angeles." The band's legendary 1987 debut studio album, "Appetite for Destruction," produced seven singles and spent four non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 and a total of 147 weeks on the Billboard 200.

The song tracks are married with an original score by Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad. "The first piece of music I wrote was the 'Thor: Love and Thunder' suite, which appears on the soundtrack as 'Mama's Gotta

Brand New Hammer,'" says Giacchino. "It's basically one part heavy metal, one part electronic, two parts British brass band and a dash of Hollywood strings for garnish." Giacchino continues, "There's a point where the track suddenly transitions from orchestral to rock, and when I played it for the first time for [director] Taika [Waititi], he abruptly stood up and began playing air guitar. It was really important that this score was able to emphasise the emotional moments as well as the fun ones - and after Taika's spontaneous reaction, I thought that this mixing of musical flavors just might work."

The film's main theme has two parts, says Giacchino: one for Thor and the other for Jane Foster. "Thor's theme is noble, mostly played on horns," he says, "and Jane's theme is more reflective, often represented by a solo cello. There's an unexpected harmonic change between the two, and I did this to convey the effect Jane has on Thor's life. She causes him to look within himself, and she brings out parts of him that he may not have known were there. So, while Jane's theme is similar and connected to Thor's, it offers a new perspective."

The original score for Thor: Love and Thunder was recorded over 12 days with a 94-piece orchestra and a 36-member choir. The orchestra included 12 horns and eight trombones, and, interestingly no woodwinds, which is unusual for a film score. To pump up the '80s rock vibe, Giacchino added guitar, drums and synth.

Waititi gives equal billing to the music that bolsters his extraordinary style of storytelling. In his words: "I really feel like we're making this a funnier, bigger adventure with even cooler characters and a really kickass soundtrack."

Director Taika Waititi recalls his decision to direct a second Thor film as a no-brainer. "Chris and I loved working together and after 'Ragnarok,' we always knew we wanted to do something else," he says. "And I had such a good experience with the people who run Marvel Studios: Brad Winderbaum, Lou [D'Esposito], Victoria [Alonso] and Kevin [Feige]. I found it a very collaborative and really fun environment to work in."

He continues, "I think it was opening night and we were at a big dinner with Kevin. Chris and I pitched an idea to him that, if we do another film, it should open with a whole montage of Thor's life and past exploits narrated by Korg. From there, it just took off, and working with Brad Winderbaum, who was the executive producer on 'Ragnarok,' it became a bigger story."

Waititi's reputation for creating a relaxed yet energetic and fun environment precedes him. "Taika is so much fun to work with," says Winderbaum. "He has nonstop energy, he's happy all the time and makes the people around him happy. He hits the ground, puts his nose to the grindstone, and builds the movie from the bottom up while staying excited and reminding us all the time how great it is to be making a film about Thor."

"I mean, he's like a big kid, a sort of genius child," says the God of Thunder himself, Chris Hemsworth. "His imagination is second to none. He's fascinated by new ideas and will throw himself into something that makes him laugh. There's never a dull moment, and I just love working with him. From the very first time we worked together, I knew we had a great thing. It's about doing something new and not being stuck in one lane.

We've become great friends, and that's certainly a huge advantage when working together because you can just call each other out and cut straight to the point."

When Tessa Thompson aka Valkyrie initially spoke of her experience on the set of Thor: Ragnarok, she remarked that a day on set "involves some hijinks and dancing," and it appears the exuberance continued on this film. "It's so fun," says Thompson. "I had never worked with someone that works the way Taika does, with such freedom and abandon. It's so fun for us, the actors, especially when you get the rhythm of it."

It was Natalie Portman's first time being directed by Waititi, and it was an on-set experience she won't soon forget. "It's really fun working with Taika," says Portman.

"He's entertaining on and off camera. Even when we're not rolling, he's always trying to make everybody laugh. He's a real life of the party: DJing, making jokes and using his microphone to say silly things while we're setting up for the next shot. It's such a good energy and he keeps everything really loose and silly and fun. I don't know how he has the energy for it, because he does so much. It's such an enormous job to direct a movie on a scale like this, but he really keeps the energy flowing in a creative and fun way."

"It was a real joy being on set and getting to play this crazy, wonderful character with the crazy talent that Taika had attracted," says Christian Bale, who brings Gorr the God Butcher to life. "And what a talent he is as well. He's a guy who is able to do the most fantastic comedy and then really gets soul into his films as well."

Bale hits the nail on the head as Waititi is also well known for his capacity to create and direct films that highlight the complexities of the human experience. He nimbly shifts from comedy to drama and everywhere in between.

Portman experienced his dexterity firsthand. "I think Taika is really good at reflecting the reality of life - it's dark and comedic all at once," she says. "Most of the time, when we're in our darkest moments, we try and deflect with humor. Sometimes it's funny because the darkest parts of life can be completely absurd. Taika really knows how to find that and knows how important the silly is when the world is falling down. It's a dangerous and difficult balancing act, but somehow Taika manages it in an extraordinary way."

Hemsworth adds, "You have to be true to that particular moment. If that moment in the scene requires drama, heartache, love or pure comedy, you have to service that, but it must drive the story forward. We had a great script as a foundation for that, but we talked at length about moving from wackiness to something rooted in reality, drama and heartache."

"With this film, it certainly felt like moments of comedy careen into moments of drama," explains Thompson. "Everything is a balance, which, for me, is exciting because that's how life is. In 'Thor: Ragnarok,' Valkyrie was really contending with the pain of losing her sisters. This time, I got to express that pain in a moment of real drama and gravitas that, honestly, surprised me. I feel like this film has a real balance of heart and sincerity and then, of course, ridiculousness."

From the writers' room through production, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson was awed by Waititi's visionary decision-making skills. "He is a genius. He is a person that can come in and look at a scene and will give you three nuggets of absolute sheer brilliance that will transform it into something and take it from ordinary to extraordinary. Watching him and learning from him and being able to be a partner to him has been really the highlight of my career."

Visual effects supervisor Jake Morrison refers to Waititi as "he who dreams without sleeping," and adds, "Being around that dude is amazing. He's a whirlwind of ideas, always thinking. To be with him is to have your brain fully engaged because there are no limitations. He thinks of the final vision, because he's 90 percent there in the audience already watching the film he's making. It's a privilege to be in the room with him."

For Waititi, the admiration is mutual, and the ultimate return on the team's Herculean endeavor will be the audience's reaction. "I really feel like we doubled down on this film and made it funnier and even more enjoyable for audiences, with more worlds and even cooler characters," says Waititi. "When fans watch 'Thor: Love and Thunder,' they can expect a wild ride that embraces the spirit of fun and hope. Expect a really fun adventure!"

Chris Hemsworth (Thor/Executive Producer) is one of the most popular and sought-after actors in Hollywood.

After his massive success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Hemsworth teamed up with the Russo brothers yet again for the Netflix original film Extraction, making history for the streaming service. Bringing in 99 million viewers within the first four weeks alone, the film became the most-watched original movie the streaming service has ever seen. Of the six MCU franchise films Hemsworth has starred in Avengers: Endgame remains one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, accumulating over $2.7 billion worldwide.

Hemsworth can next be seen starring in Joseph Kosinski's Spiderhead, an adaptation of the George Saunders short story for Netflix, which also stars Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett. It was also recently announced that he will star in George Miller's Furiosa, the Mad Max prequel, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; play renowned wrestler "Hulk Hogan" in a biopic with Academy Award®-nominated director Todd Phillips; and return as mercenary Tyler Rake in Extraction 2 with Sam Hargrave directing. Hemsworth also hosts and serves as executive producer on the new National Geographic's original series Limitless, in which he tests the limits of the human body and explores the latest scientific research into health longevity.

As a respected figure in the health and fitness realm, Hemsworth launched CENTR, a personalised digital health and fitness program, in February 2019. The app brings the best hand-picked team of internationally renowned experts, including elite trainers, celebrity chefs, meditation teachers and well-being mentors, to help users achieve their ultimate fitness goals.

Hemsworth's multifaceted career includes a starring role alongside Michael Shannon and Michael Peña in 12 Strong, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, which tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; and a role in Drew Goddard's Bad Times at the El Royale with Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm and Dakota Johnson.

Born and raised in Australia, where he began his acting career, Hemsworth made his U.S. feature film debut in J.J. Abrams' blockbuster Star Trek, playing the pivotal role of George Kirk. Additional credits include lead roles in Snow White and the Huntsman, opposite Charlize Theron; the film's prequel, Huntsman: Winter's War, which included Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt; and Sony's Men in Black: International alongside Tessa Thompson. Hemsworth flexed his comedic muscles in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters, alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, and in Vacation with Ed Helms, Christina Applegate and Leslie Mann. He starred in Ron Howard's true-life drama Rush, portraying famed Formula One driver James Hunt, and collaborated with him again on the drama In The Heart of the Sea.

An active philanthropist, Hemsworth supports the Australian Childhood Foundation and is passionate about ocean conservation.

Natalie Portman (Jane Foster/the Mighty Thor) is an Academy Award®-winning actress (Black Swan), director, author and activist.

Previously, Portman appeared in Pablo Larraín's film Jackie in which she starred as first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. For the role, she was nominated for an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe®, a Screen Actors Guild Award® and a BAFTA, and won the Critics Choice Award. Portman wrote, directed, produced and starred in A Tale of Love and Darkness, which made its world premiere at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and its North American premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Other past film credits include Noah Hawley's Lucy in the Sky, Brady Corbet's Vox Lux and Alex Garland's highly anticipated second feature, Annihilation.

Portman and her producing partner Sophie Mas recently inked a first-look TV deal with Apple TV+ for their production company MountainA. Through this deal, they are producing the Apple Original limited series Lady in the Lake, which will be Portman's TV acting debut. Other past production credits include the documentary Eating Animals, which she executive produced and narrated. The film examines mankind's dietary choices and is based on Jonathan Safran Foer's memoir.

In addition to her film work, Portman devotes her time to several humanitarian causes, with an emphasis on supporting women and girls. She is also a founder of National Women's Soccer League team Angel City Football Club.

Born in Wales, Christian Bale (Gorr) grew up in England and the USA.

He made his film debut in Steven Spielberg's World War II epic, Empire of the Sun. Bale's work to date includes Henry V, The Portrait of a Lady, The Secret Agent, Metroland, Velvet Goldmine, All the Little Animals, American Psycho, Laurel Canyon, The Machinist, Batman Begins, The New World, The Prestige, Harsh Times, Rescue Dawn, 3:10 to Yuma, I'm Not There, The Dark Knight, Public Enemies, The Fighter, Flowers of War, The Dark Knight Rises, Out of the Furnace, American Hustle, Exodus, The Big Short, Knight of Cups, The Promise, Hostiles, Mowgli, Vice and Ford v. Ferrari.

Upcoming, he stars in David O'Russell's Amsterdam for Fox Studios and in The Pale Blue Eye for director Scott Cooper.

Tessa Thompson (King Valkyrie) is a critically acclaimed actress and is making her mark as a producer as well. In 2019, she appeared on the cover of TIME magazine as the Leader of the Next Generation.

Upcoming, Thompson will appear in the fourth season of the Emmy®-nominated, hit HBO drama series Westworld as Charlotte Hale, a mysterious and savvy provocateur with a unique perspective of Westworld. Executive produced by J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan and inspired by writer-director Michael Crichton's 1973 feature of the same name, the series garnered a total of 43 Emmy® nominations combined from its first and second seasons. Season four is set to release on HBO in June 2022.

Thompson originated the role of Valkyrie in 2017 in Thor: Ragnarok, opposite Chris Hemsworth. Directed by Taika Waititi, the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster film grossed over $800 million worldwide. She also made a brief appearance in Avengers: Endgame in April 2020.

In 2021, Thompson starred opposite Ruth Negga in Rebecca Hall's Passing. The film premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and Netflix acquired the film following its successful debut. The film is an adaptation of Nella Larsen's 1920s Harlem Renaissance novel that explores the practice of racial passing, a term used for a person who classifies as a member of one racial group who seeks to be accepted by a different racial group. Passing released globally on Netflix in Nov. 2021.

In 2020, Thompson starred in Amazon's Sylvie's Love, which she executive produced and co-starred alongside Nnamdi Asomugha. Set in New York City during the 1950s and 60s, the story follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha). Directed by Eugene Ashe, Sylvie's Love was nominated for a 2021 Emmy® Award in the category outstanding television movie and a 2021 NAACP Image Award in the category outstanding television movie, limited-series or dramatic special.

That same year, Thompson starred in QCode's mystery-sci-fi podcast series The Left Right Game, which she also produced. The 10-episode series podcast was created by Jack Anderson and is based on his original internet blog of the same name. Following the successful release of the audio drama, Amazon Studios secured the rights to turn this series into a television show with Thompson also producing.

In 2019, Thompson voiced the titular character Lady in Disney's live-action, re-imagining of Lady and the Tramp, opposite Justin Theroux. Based on the 1955 animated picture of the same name, the film premiered on Disney+. That same year, Thompson starred as Agent M opposite Chris Hemsworth in Sony Pictures' Men in Black: International, the fourth installment of the film series. The film was produced by Laurie MacDonald and Walter F. Parkes, executive produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by F. Gary Gray. That year, Thompson also starred as Ollie in the NEON independent drama, Little Woods, opposite Lily James. The film debuted at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

In summer 2018, Thompson starred as Detroit in Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You. Following its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, the dark comedy was acquired by Annapurna Pictures and later received numerous accolades such as an NAACP Image Award nomination, Film Independent Spirit Award, National Board of Review Award and a Gotham Audience Award. Earlier that year, Thompson starred as Josie Radek in sci-fi thriller, Annihilation, opposite Natalie Portman. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, and directed by Alex Garland.

In 2015, Thompson appeared as Bianca in the Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM Pictures, Creed, opposite Michael B. Jordan. In Nov. 2018, Thompson reprised her role in Creed II. The screenplay was co-written by Sylvester Stallone and executive produced by Ryan Coogler and Jordan. Creed III is currently in post-production.

In 2014, Thompson portrayed the civil rights activist Diane Nash in the Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey-produced film, Selma. After its initial premiere at the American Film Institute Festival, the drama received a wider theatrical release. As a result of the film's critical recognition, it garnered a Golden Globe® and an Academy Award® nomination for best picture. Additionally, in 2014, Thompson starred as Samantha White in Director Justin Simien's independent satirical drama, Dear White People. The film debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and received favorable reviews. Thompson's performance earned her a Gotham Award for breakthrough actor, as well as a nomination for outstanding actress in a motion picture for the 46th Annual NAACP Image Awards.

In 2016, Thompson made her off-Broadway debut as Valerie in the Second Stage Theater production, Smart People, alongside Joshua Jackson, Mahershala Ali and Anne Son. Smart People takes place during President Barack Obama's final term in 2008 and analyzes his journey to the White House and how his race changed the conversation about race itself. Thompson's career took off at the young age of 18 following her professional debut as Juliet in the "Romeo and Juliet: Antebellum New Orleans, 1836" theater performance, for which she received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In 2006, she made her first feature film appearance as Scarlet in the horror film remake of When a Stranger Calls.

Between 2008 and 2009, Thompson also appeared in the films Make it Happen, The Human Contract, Periphery, Red & Blue Marbles and Mississippi Damned for which she was awarded a Grand Jury prize in the category for best actress. Additional film credits include Nyla/Purple in Tyler Perry's film For Colored Girls, War on Everyone and Furlough.

Additionally, Thompson's other television credits include Jackie Cook on the second season of the hit drama Veronica Mars, Sara Freeman on BBC's first original scripted program Copper, and guest roles in the CW's sci-fi drama Heroes, CBS's police series Cold Case, ABC's medical series Grey's Anatomy, the CW's teen drama Hidden Palms, NBC's Life, ABC's Private Practice, TNT's Rizzoli & Isles, ABC's Off the Map and ABC's 666 Park Avenue.

Thompson launched her own production company, Viva Maude, in 2020, anchored by a first-look TV deal with both HBO and HBO Max. The company was born from Thompson's desire to shape culture with work that's uncategorisable and manifestly entertaining. In 2021, Kishori Rajan (Random Acts of Flyness) joined Thompson as her producing partner to continue to build Viva Maude's production and development slate. Announced projects include The Secret Lives of Church Ladies at HBO Max, Who Fears Death at HBO (which stems from the book of the same title written by Dessha Philyaw), a series adaptation of the best-selling novel Luster for HBO with Gaumont, Who Fears Death at HBO, The Left Right Game at Amazon, and an unscripted Puzzle Talk show at Hulu.

Russell Crowe (Zeus) is an Academy Award® winner who is regarded as one of the finest actors of our time. Crowe's many acting honors include three consecutive best actor Oscar® nominations for his work in the acclaimed 1999 drama The Insider; the 2000 Best Picture winner Gladiator, for which he took home the Oscar®; and Best Picture winner A Beautiful Mind in 2001.

In addition to the Academy Award®, Crowe's performance as Maximus, the Roman general-turned-gladiator in Ridley Scott's Gladiator earned him best actor honors from several critics' organizations, including the Broadcast Film Critics and London Film Critics Circle. He also received Golden Globe®, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award® nominations for his performance.

The year prior, Crowe obtained his first Oscar® nomination for his portrayal of tobacco company whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand in Michael Mann's The Insider. He was awarded best actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Broadcast Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics and the National Board of Review. He garnered Golden Globe®, BAFTA, and SAG Award® nominations the same year.

Crowe's masterful portrayal of Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash, Jr. in Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind brought him his third Oscar® nomination, as well as his third consecutive Critics' Choice Award. He took home the Golden Globe®, BAFTA® and SAG Award®, and several other critics groups awards for best actor.

In 2005, Crowe reunited with Howard in Cinderella Man, and his portrayal of Jim Braddock earned him both Golden Globe® and SAG Award® nominations and won him the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for best actor.

Crowe made his directorial debut in 2015 with the sweeping epic The Water Diviner, in which he also starred. The film won three Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, including best picture. He just wrapped production on his second directorial film, Poker Face, a thriller in which he also stars.

Additional film credits include Jed Kurzel's The True History of the Kelly Gang with George MacKay; Universal's The Mummy opposite Tom Cruise; Joel Edgerton's Boy Erased with Nicole Kidman and Lucas Hedges; The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling; Darren Aronofsky's biblical drama Noah; Gabriele Muccino's Fathers & Daughters; Akiva Goldsman's Winter's Tale; Zack Snyder's Man of Steel; Tom Hooper's acclaimed screen adaptation of the musical Les Miserables; and Allen Hughes' Broken City. He has worked on several Ridley Scott-directed projects such as A Good Year, American Gangster, Body of Lies and Robin Hood. Among his other credits are Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, for which he earned a Golden Globe® nomination; Taylor Hackford's Proof of Life; 3:10 to Yuma, with Christian Bale; Kevin Macdonald's State of Play, with Ben Affleck; Paul Haggis' The Next Three Days; and in RZA's The Man with the Iron Fists.

On the television side, Crowe received rave reviews for his performance as Roger Ailes in Showtime's The Loudest Voice, starring opposite Naomi Watts and Sienna Miller. He won the Golden Globe® for best actor in a mini-series or motion picture for TV and received SAG Award® and Critics Choice Award nominations. Most recently, Crowe starred in Solstice's psychological thriller Unhinged. He will next be seen starring in The Georgetown Project, a thriller starring opposite Sam Worthington and Netflix's The Greatest Beer Run Ever, directed by Peter Farrelly and also starring Zac Efron.

Born in New Zealand but raised Australia, it was there Crowe gained international attention for his work on the big screen. He was recognised three consecutive years by the AFI, starting in 1990, when he was nominated for best actor for The Crossing; in 1991 when he won best supporting actor for Proof and the following year winning the best actor awards from both the AFI and the Australian Film Critics for his performance in Romper Stomper. The 1993 Seattle International Film Festival not only named him best actor for his work in Romper Stomper but in Hammers Over the Anvil, too. Crowe's American film debut was in Sam Raimi's 1995 western, The Quick and the Dead and he later went on to earn acclaim for his role in Curtis Hanson's crime drama L.A. Confidential. His early film credits include Mystery, Alaska, Heaven's Burning, Virtuosity, The Sum of Us, For the Moment, Love in Limbo, The Silver Brumby, The Efficiency Expert and Prisoners of the Sun. Crowe has since starred in a long and diverse list of film and television credits capturing audiences worldwide.

Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord) recently starred and executive produced The Tomorrow War for Skydance and Amazon in July 2021. The film was such a huge success; it has officially been greenlit for a second installment.In 2019, Pratt appeared in the record-breaking hit, Avengers: Endgame, which grossed over $2.7B worldwide. This was a follow up to Avengers: Infinity War, which also made more than $2 billion at the global box office. Prior to that, Pratt's Star Lord led Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise; the first installment was one of the top three grossing films of 2014 with over $770 million at the global box office. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trounced every other film that opened in Summer 2017 and surpassed the first episode's box office with over $860 million worldwide.

In 2015, Pratt headlined Jurassic World, the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time, and returned to the wildly popular role of Owen in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in June 2018. He currently appears in the third chapter of the franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion, which released on June 10.

In 2016, Chris starred in the Sony sci-fi romance, Passengers, opposite Jennifer Lawrence. He additionally appeared in Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven opposite Denzel Washington, which opened the 2016 Toronto Film Festival and closed the 2016 Venice Film Festival. The year 2015 marked the end of seventh and final season of Emmy®-nominated series, Parks & Recreation for which Pratt is perhaps best known for portraying the character Andy Dwyer opposite Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari and Adam Scott.

Pratt will make his television return on July 1, 2022 in The Terminal List (based on the Jack Carr novel) for MRC and Amazon, which he is also executive producing through his production company, Indivisible Productions.

Other notable film credits include Pixar's Oscar®-nominated Onward; the Warner Bros. animated franchise The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part; Spike Jonze's critically acclaimed Her; Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty (nominated for best picture for both a Golden Globe® and Academy Award®); and Bennet Miller's Moneyball alongside Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Dave Bautista (Drax) starred as Drax the Destroyer in the 2014 Marvel Studios feature Guardians of the Galaxy opposite Chris Pratt, Benicio Del Toro, Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana. The film follows an unlikely cast of characters, including an American pilot and a group of ex-cons, who join forces and go on the run to defeat a cosmic force of epic proportions. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 premiered in May 2017, adding Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone to the cast. It crossed over $863 million at the box office. The Guardians have since joined The Avengers and Avengers; Infinity War, which opened April 2018 to the highest-grossing opening weekend in history. The fourth installation of the Avengers franchise, Avengers: Endgame, premiered in April 2019 and became the highest-grossing film of all time with over $2.79 billion. Bautista is currently in production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to be released May 2023.

Bautista can be seen in the second season of the Apple TV series See starring opposite Jason Momoa. See takes place in the distant future after a deadly virus decimated humankind. Those who survived emerged blind. Bautista re-teamed with Denis Villeneuve in Dune, starring opposite Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson for Warner Brothers. Later this year, he will appear with Daniel Craig in Netflix's Knives Out 2, written and directed by Rian Johnson.

Bautista was recently seen in the Netflix action/horror film Army of the Dead for director Zack Snyder. The film follows a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, where a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted. The film is ranked in the top 10 among Netflix's most-viewed films of all time. In 2019, Bautista and his longtime manager, Jonathan Meisner, formed the production company Dream Bros. Entertainment, which produced the upcoming family/action film My Spy, which premiered in June 2020 on Amazon Prime. The film stars Bautista in the title role of a hardened CIA operative who finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family.

A talented actress, writer and director, Karen Gillan (Nebula) continues to expand her repertoire with dynamic projects alongside notable filmmakers and actors.

Gillan is currently in production, reprising her role of Nebula, on James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opposite Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper. Prior, Gillan was seen as Nebula in Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Endgame, alongside Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson. The blockbuster, which was released on April 26, 2019, opened to rave reviews and has become the highest-grossing film of all time. Gillan originated the role on screen in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, later appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Avengers: Infinity War.

Most recently, Gillan led the cast of Riley Stearns' sci-fi thriller Dual alongside Aaron Paul, which follows a terminally ill woman (Gillan) who opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. The film opened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim and was acquired by RLJE in a bidding war, who subsequently released the film on April 15, 2022. Prior, Gillan was seen in Judd Apatow's The Bubble opposite Leslie Mann, Pedro Pascal, Fred Armisen, Maria Bakalova and Keegan-Michael Key. The meta-comedy centered on a group of actors and a film crew stuck inside of a "pandemic bubble" while filming the fictional project Cliff Beasts 6. The film was released on Netflix on April 1, 2022.

Gillan also starred in Navot Papushado's action thriller, Gunpowder Milkshake, about a female assassin (Gillan) who, when a job goes wrong, must choose between serving the ruthless crime syndicate she works for and saving the life of an 8-year-old girl. Co-starring Angela Bassett, Lena Headey and Michelle Yeoh, the film was released in the U.S. on Netflix on July 14, 2021, and quickly became the streamer's No. 1 movie. StudioCanal released the film in the U.K. on Sept. 17, 2021.

In 2019, Gillan reprised her starring role as Ruby Roundhouse in Jake Kasdan's Jumanji: The Next Level opposite Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black. The sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which was Sony's worldwide highest-grossing film of all time, earned nearly $1 billion worldwide.

In 2018, Gillan made her directorial debut with The Party's Just Beginning, which she also wrote, produced and starred in. The film premiered to rave reviews at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and was released by The Orchard on Dec. 7, 2019. The film was released in the U.K. on Dec. 1, 2019.

Other film credits include Nick Bruno and Troy Quane's Spies in Disguise alongside Will Smith and Tom Holland; Twentieth Century Fox's Call of the Wild opposite Bradley Whitford and Harrison Ford; Michael Dowse's Stuber; James Ponsoldt's The Circle with Tom Hanks and Emma Watson; Ti West's In a Valley of Violence alongside Ethan Hawke and John Travolta; John McKay's Not Another Happy Ending; Adam McKay's best picture-nominated The Big Short alongside Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Steve Carell; Collin Schiffli's All Creatures Below opposite David Dastmalchian; Harris Goldberg's Alex & the List alongside Jennifer Morrison and Patrick Fugit; and the horror/thriller box office hit Oculus.

On television, Gillan was featured in three seasons of the BBC's critically acclaimed series Doctor Who. Gillan starred as Amy Pond, a companion of the series protagonist the Doctor, in his 11th incarnation, played by Matt Smith. Gillan appeared as a series regular from the fifth season to midway through the seventh season. Prior television credits include ABC's Selfie, HBO's 7 Days in Hell and BBC's We'll Take Manhattan.

A natural talent, Pom Klementieff (Mantis) is one of Hollywood's most sought-out actresses. A dynamic presence on both the big and small screen, her allure mesmerizes audiences and critics alike.

Klementieff is currently filming James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, teaming up alongside former co-stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista. The film is set to release May 23, 2023. Concurrently, she is in production on Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible 8 and just recently wrapped production on Mission: Impossible 7. The films will be released on July 14, 2023 and June 28, 2024 respectively.

Most recently Klementieff was seen in Netflix's Thunder Force, opposite Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer, and made a cameo appearance in The Suicide Squad alongside Margot Robbie, Idris Elba and Viola Davis.

In 2020, Klementieff appeared in the third season of the critically-acclaimed HBO series Westworld as Martel, an agent working for Engerraund Serac (Vincent Cassel). In 2019, Klementieff starred in the fifth season of Netflix's anthology series Black Mirror, alongside Miley Cyrus and Topher Grace. Following, she starred in the Safdie brothers' crime-dramedy Uncut Gems, opposite Adam Sandler, Idina Menzel and Lakeith Stanfield. Set in New York's diamond district, the plot, which was scripted by the Safdie brothers and Ronald Bronstein, features Sandler as a jewelry store owner and dealer whose life is turned upside down when his merchandise is stolen. The film was released by A24 in the U.S. and by Netflix internationally.

Also in 2019, Klementieff was seen reprising her role as Mantis in Marvel's Avengers: Endgame. The film follows The Avengers and their allies as they deal with the aftermath of Thanos' blitz of devastation and defeat him. The blockbuster, which was released on April 26, opened to rave reviews and has earned over $2 billion at the global box office. Prior, Klementieff was seen in Avengers: Infinity War, which earned over $1 billion worldwide.

Previously, Klementieff was seen in James Gunn's Marvel feature, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opposite Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana. She was the breakout of the film and was named one of IMDB's top 10 stars of 2017.

Additional credits include the comedic drama Ingrid Goes West opposite Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen as well as a supporting role in Drake Dormus' The Newness opposite Nicholas Hoult. Both films premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where Ingrid Goes West won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Klementieff's first professional acting job was the French independent film Après lui(2007), portraying the stepdaughter of the protagonist played by Catherine Deneuve. Klementieff had her breakthrough role in 2013 in Spike Lee's Oldboy, starring opposite Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson. Other film credits include Hackers Game, Sleepless Night, Borderline and Loup.

Born in Quebec City to a Korean mother and French-Russian father, Klementieff grew up traveling extensively due to her father's career and has lived in places spanning from Japan to the Ivory Coast, before settling back in France. Klementieff currently resides in New York.

Vin Diesel (voice of Groot) is a prominent actor, producer and filmmaker who has been honored with a Hand & Footprint Ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is most widely known as Dominic Toretto in the Fast and Furious film series, Richard B. Riddick in the Chronicles of Riddick series, and Xander Cage in the xXx series, as well as the voice of Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and Avengers: Infinity War.

Most recently, Diesel, a native New Yorker, reprised his role as Dominic Toretto in the ninth installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise, which he starred in and produced. The record-breaking franchise film was one of the biggest box office hits of 2021. The eighth installment had the largest international release of all time, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide. He also wrote and directed the original short film Los Bandoleros, which tells the backstory of the characters and events in the franchise.

Prior to F9: The Fast Saga, Diesel was seen in Sony's Bloodshot, starring as Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life as the superhero Bloodshot by the RST corporation.

Diesel also led the star-studded ensemble cast in the highly anticipated xXx: Return of Xander Cage. He reprised his role of Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but as Baby Groot, and appeared in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, directed by Ang Lee. In 2015, he starred in and produced The Last Witch Hunter for Lionsgate, opposite Sir Michael Caine. Another endeavor in Diesel's entrepreneurial rise was the launch of his successful video game company, Tigon Studios, which recently created and produced the multi-platform Riddick: The Merc Files as well as 2004's top-selling Xbox game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

Diesel previously starred alongside Michelle Yeoh in Twentieth Century Fox's Babylon A.D. and was also seen in the courtroom drama Find Me Guilty, directed by Sidney Lumet. In 2005, Diesel starred in his first comedy feature, The Pacifier, which was a huge box-office success for Walt Disney Pictures. In the highly anticipated science-fiction feature The Chronicles of Riddick, Diesel reprised the title role. Produced by his production company, One Race Films, it was the follow-up to the cult favorite Pitch Black.

Early in his career-in his first foray into filmmaking-Diesel wrote, produced, directed and starred in the independent short Multi-Facial, which explored the experience of being multiracial in today's society. The film follows Diesel, whose biological mother is Caucasian and biological father is African American, on several auditions in which he is told that he is either too black or too white for the part. It was after seeing Multi-Facial at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival that Steven Spielberg created the role of Private Adrian Caparzo in Saving Private Ryan specifically for Diesel, for which he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award®.

Diesel is currently in production as star and producer for Fast X, and he will also reprise his role as Xander Cage in xXx 4 and serve as producer alongside returning director DJ Caruso.

Nine-time Oscar® nominee Bradley Cooper (voice of Rocket) is currently in production on Maestro. Cooper co-wrote the story alongside Josh Singer and is directing, producing and starring in the film alongside Carey Mulligan. Maestro tells the complex love story of Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre (Mulligan) a story that spans over 30 years-from the time they met in 1946 at a party and continuing through two engagements, a 25-year marriage and three children: Jamie Bernstein, Alexander Bernstein and Nina Bernstein Simmons. The film will be released by Netflix in 2023.

Previously, Cooper starred in and produced Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, which was released in Dec. 2021 by Fox Searchlight. Cooper also had a supporting role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, which was released in Nov. 2021 in which he was nominated for a SAG Award® for outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role. Both Nightmare Alley and Licorice Pizza were nominated for the best picture Academy Award® for the 2021 season.

Cooper made his directorial debut with the Oscar®-nominated film A Star Is Born, which he co-wrote, produced and starred. A Star is Born was nominated for eight Academy Awards®. Additional film credits include: Clint Eastwood's The Mule, Oscar®-nominated films American Sniper, American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook; Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines; The Hangover trilogy by Todd Phillips; Limitless; Avengers: Endgame; Avengers: Infinity War; Guardians of the Galaxy; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; War Dogs; David O'Russell's Joy; Wedding Crashers; and Wet Hot American Summer.

In 2015, Cooper garnered critical acclaim and a Tony nomination for his portrayal of John Merrick in the five-time, Tony-nominated revival of The Elephant Man on Broadway, directed by Scott Ellis. Other theater credits include Joe Mantello's production of Three Days of Rain (2006, Broadway debut) and the critically acclaimed Theresa Rebeck play The Understudy (2008, Williamstown Theatre Festival).

Television credits include: Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Alias, Nip/Tuck, Kitchen Confidential, Jack & Bobby and Sex and the City.

Born in Philadelphia, Cooper graduated with honors in the English program at Georgetown University. After moving to New York City, he obtained his masters in the fine arts program at The Actors Studio Drama School.

In 2013, Bradley Cooper started One Family Foundation to help make a difference in the lives of patients with cancer. Through launching patient navigator programs, working to shift perceptions, and exploring innovations in the field, One Family Foundation aims to improve patients' experience with cancer throughout their treatment. By elevating the importance of patient navigation, the Foundation hopes to redefine what it means to receive holistic cancer care. Cooper has been a longtime partner to Stand Up to Cancer and numerous veteran's organizations throughout his career.

Taika Waititi (Director/Written by/Korg) is an Academy Award®-winning writer, director and actor. His film Jojo Rabbit received six Oscar® nominations, including best picture, and earned him an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. The film, which was released by Searchlight Pictures, was also nominated for a Golden Globe® for best motion picture musical or comedy and earned a GRAMMY® nomination for best compilation soundtrack for visual media, among other accolades. Previously, Waititi directed the critically-acclaimed blockbuster Thor: Ragnarok for Disney, as well as the beloved indie films Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows, Boy and the Oscar®-nominated short film Two Cars, One Night. He also executive produced, through his production company with Carthew Neal, Piki Films, The Breaker Upperers, Baby Done and the first Indigenous Canadian/New Zealand co-production, Night Raiders, which premiered at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival.

Waititi is currently in post-production on Next Goal Wins for Searchlight Pictures, which he wrote, directed and produced, based on the 2015 documentary of the same name. Previously, Waititi was seen in Shawn Levy's Free Guy from 20th Century Studios, alongside Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer and Joe Keery; and appeared in Disney and Pixar's Lightyear as the voice of Mo Morrison.

For television, Waititi is the co-creator and executive producer of the Indigenous American teen comedy Reservation Dogs for FX, for which he co-wrote the first episode with co-creator Sterlin Harjo. The series has been well-received, winning the 2021 Gotham Award for short-form breakthrough series and the 2022 Independent Spirit Award for best new scripted series, as well as earning nominations for this year's Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globe® Awards and Writers Guild of America Awards.

On screen, Waititi stars as Blackbeard in the HBO Max period comedy Our Flag Means Death. He is also the executive producer for the series and directed the pilot episode, which debuted on the streaming platform this past March. Additionally, Waititi directed the season one finale of The Mandalorian for Disney+, in which he also voices IG-11, and serves as executive producer on the critically acclaimed TV adaptation of What We Do in the Shadows, for which he's directed several episodes.