Following the news of his casting in Thor: Love and Thunder last month, Russell Crowe has revealed who he'll be playing in the upcoming Marvel sequel. In March, images of Crowe hanging out on set with Chris Hemsworth and the Thor 4 cast fueled rumors that he had landed a role in the movie. It was officially confirmed soon after that he was indeed a part of the cast, but his mystery role was not revealed.

In a recent interview with JOY 94.9, Russell Crowe let it be known that he'll be playing the god Zeus, who's based on the legendary god of the same name from Greek mythology. Adapted for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Zeus has been appearing in Thor comics for decades. He hadn't yet been featured in any of the three previous Thor movies, and some might say his entrance in the MCU is a bit overdue.

"I'm gonna get on my bicycle," Crowe said of his casting. "I'm gonna ride up to Disney Fox Studios, and around about 9:15 I shall be Zeus! It's for Thor. It's my last day of Zeus-ing about and I'm going to enjoy it."

Another big name that's been announced for the cast is The Dark Knight star Christian Bale. He'll be taking on the role of the main villain as Gorr the God Butcher, a supervillain who's tussled with Thor in Marvel Comics stories. Fortunately, Hemsworth's Thor will have some help in the sequel, as Natalie Portman will be back as Jane Foster, aka the superhero called the Mighty Thor.

Thor: Love and Thunder will also star Melissa McCarthy as Hela, Jaimie Alexander as Sif, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, and Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster. The Guardians of the Galaxy stars will also appear, including Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri. Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke Hemsworth will also reprise their roles as Asgardian actors after first appearing in Thor: Ragnarok.

"There's that same - if not more - pressure now to do that again," star Chris Hemsworth recently told GQ, referring to trying to catch lightning in a bottle again with another successful sequel. "So there's a little bit of exciting nervous energy that is motivating all of us to reach a little further and make sure we're covering all bases and approaching the scene from every angle."

Speaking about Chris Pratt's involvement, Hemsworth added: "The guy is wildly impressive with the spontaneity and the humour and the things he comes up with. It's both funny, inspiring and intimidating."

Thor: Love and Thunder is set to be released on May 6, 2022. Directed by Taika Waititi, the sequel is co-written by Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. James Gunn consulted with Waititi during production concerning the use of the Guardians characters, so their involvement will not affect the story of Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3. This news comes to us from JOY 94.9.