Cate Blanchett, coming off her best actress nomination for the 1950s-set drama Carol, is in final negotiations to join Thor: Ragnarok, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The move comes a little more than a week after the Marvel Studios project hired Stephany Folsom to work on the script.
It is unclear what character Blanchett would play, but several sources say that Marvel has been on the hunt for a “bad-ass female.”
Taika Waititi, who co-wrote and co-directed vampire spoof What We Do in the Shadows, is directing the project, the third installment of Marvel’s Thor movies.
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Chris Hemsworth will be back as the Norse god of thunder for the pic that is also due to feature a team-up with the Hulk.
Marvel has always tried to go outside the box when it comes to casting its features (and went even further with the actors hired for Doctor Strange), but the Thor movies have consistently attracted top global talent, ranging from Anthony Hopkins to Idris Elba.
Blanchett, who won an Oscar last year for Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, is riding high this awards season with acclaim and nominations for her performance in Carol, Todd Haynes’ lesbian-romance drama.