‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Spoilers: Director Taika Waititi Confirms ‘Planet Hulk’ Location

It has long been rumored that “Thor: Ragnarok” will take incorporate a Planet Hulk storyline from the comic books. Now, director Taika Waititi has confirmed a big clue regarding the location of the movie.

During an interview with Total Film, Waititi revealed that the film will take place in Sakaar, the titular Planet Hulk. “Sakaar was just an insane, far-off, futuristic place which was the biggest shift for the film and these characters,” he said, according to Collider. “I was really excited when Kevin [Feige] and the rest of Marvel jumped on board with the idea to use [Jack] Kirby as a big influence in the design of the film. What’s really hard is staying authentic.”

In Sakaar, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is turned into a gladiator in the Imperial Arena run by the Red King, a corrupt ruler of a fearsome empire. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will somehow find himself in Sakaar and rescue his fellow Avenger with the help of a new heroine named Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson).

It was even reported earlier that Valkyrie will become Thor’s new love interest, but the rumor was dismissed by Screen Geek. Although there will be a spark between the two characters, they won’t become a couple and will simply remain friends. It seems like Marvel is going to maintain Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster as Thor’s main love interest, even though she won’t make an appearance in the third film. In fact, her name won’t even be mentioned at all in the upcoming film.

Feige told The Empire Film Podcast that there are “many reasons” that will explain Jane’s absence, but the biggest reason will have to be the setting. “There are only a couple of scenes on Earth in this movie. [Around] 80 to 90 percent takes place in the cosmos,” he said.

“Thor: Ragnarok” will be released on Nov. 3, 2017.