"Thor: Ragnarok" will be involving a few familiar faces such as Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner aka The Hulk, but according to a report from the Hollywood Reporter, Natalie Portman will not be coming back as the female lead, Dr. Jane Foster, and in her place steps "Creed" star Tessa Thompson.
According to the report, Thompson will be playing a "mysterious new superhero" and that she may become Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) new love interest. It is undetermined who Thompson is playing but it is widely speculated that she will be one of the Norse superbeings also from Asgard.
In regards to Jane Foster's absence, a report from Cinema Blend points out that the writers simply could not find a way to involve her character given that the story of "Thor: Ragnarok" is expected to take place in Asgard and in other realms outside of Earth, making it difficult to logically put Jane Foster in the middle of these events.
It is also speculated that Natalie Portman simply could not be available to reprise her role as Jane Foster and had to be written out of the story, with Thompson stepping in as a last-minute replacement, one that was easily written in as a new superhero to join Thor and his Asgardian companions.
However, with the revelation that Thompson's character is also the new love interest, fans question what could have happened in between "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Thor: Ragnarok" for Thor and Jane to go separate ways. The two parted on good terms in "Thor: The Dark World" and Jane was fondly referenced in "Age of Ultron."
Thompson did work alongside Natalie Portman in "Annihilation" and also with another "Thor" co-star, Anthony Hopkins, in the HBO series "Westworld."
"Thor: Ragnarok" will release in theaters this Nov. 3, 2017.
