Earlier this year, Jeff Goldblum mentioned that he might have a superhero project on the horizon, but pretty much everyone was shocked to learn that he’ll be playing The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok. The character has a storied history in the comic books, but rumours point to this version of the character being responsible for the movie’s Planet Hulk elements.
Talking in a recent interview to promote the upcoming release of Independence Day: Resurgence, the actor dropped some hints about his character and he definitely sounds like the sort of person who would get a kick out of pitting the Jade Giant against the God of Thunder in a gladiatorial arena in Thor: Ragnarok.
“He’s a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker. He’s an enjoyer of life and tastes and smells. I thought, ‘I can do that, I’ll bet!’ I’m working on my part every day. I’m a sponge, researching. [Taika Waititi] is encouraging me to improvise and make it my own, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I hope he doesn’t throw me out on the first day!”
Goldblum went on to reveal that his Thor: Ragnarok role will only require around three or four weeks of his time and that he’ll be shooting alongside the rest of the cast in Australia, so it’s clear that The Grandmaster won’t have a massive part to play in the movie.
However, the character is one who definitely has the potential to become a recurring presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so don’t be too surprised to see him show up in Avengers: Infinity War or a future instalment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. For now though, we can look forward to him making his big screen debut in Thor: Ragnarok next year.