Marvel fans have been wanting an adaptation of the Planet Hulk comic book storyline for years now. With Thor: Ragnarok, they are, at least partially, finally going to get their wish. Not only will we see Hulk doing battle with Thor in the arena, but some characters from the Planet Hulk storyline, like Korg and Miek, will also be making appearances. The best part? It has now been revealed that director Taika Waititi is playing Korg in Thor: Ragnarok.
Taika Waititi has never tackled a movie the size of Thor 3 before, but he regularly finds a way to put himself in his own movies. The director himself confirmed during a visit to Marvel Studios offices recently that he's found a way to put himself in this movie as Korg, an important character to the Planet Hulk storyline. According to the report, Taika Waititi wore a performance capture suit on set with a 2D print of the characters face above his own so that people would be looking at the correct eye line. Here is what /Film had to say about how Korg fits into the story of Thor: Ragnarok.
"In the film, Korg befriends Thor and welcomes the God of Thunder to the planet Sakaar, explaining how society on the planet operates. We were shown a scene featuring Thor's first meeting with Korg. While the Kronan looks physically intimidating, he is super helpful and overly friendly. Waititi's comic timing is brilliant, and if you've seen his roles in his previous films, then you have an idea of what to expect. Waititi explained that Korg is modeled after Polynesian nightclub bouncers who are the biggest people in town, but have the lightest and most delicate voices: 'They are very endearing, but you don't want to f*** with them.'"
In the Planet Hulk comic books, Korg is a giant rock warrior who is exiled to the planet of Sakaaar and ends up being forced to fight in gladiator-style combat. The movie will borrow the main key elements of the character but will be making some changes. Korg will reportedly stand 8-feet-tall in Thor: Ragnarok and will be sporting gladiator armor with red paint. He also reportedly has a huge staff that he uses to "clobber" his enemies. In addition to Korg, the movie will also include the insect alien Miek from Planet Hulk, but he will have a less significant role and will be very different from the comic book version. Here is how /Film explains it.
"Miek is an insect creature with a crab mouth and a black and red exoskeleton with knives for hands and bionic legs. The character does not talk in the film, but was played on-set by a performance capture actor. It seems like he might be the kind of sidekick character that will be doing some entertaining bits in the background as the characters with dialogue move the plot forward."
While we may not be getting an entire Planet Hulk movie, it sounds like Marvel is going to bring the spirit of the comic to life and will be bringing in a lot of the elements that fans love about that story. Thor 3 stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Jaimie Alexander, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and Mark Ruffalo. Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi and is set for release on November 3.