Loki is going to feature quite a few big names. A month after Variety revealed that Gugu Mbatha-Raw would be joining the Disney + series, the publication has confirmed that Star Wars’ Richard E. Grant (who scooped up a bunch of nominations, plus a Spirit Award, for his role in 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me?) has been cast in the show as well. (Meanwhile, Owen Wilson’s involvement was revealed back in January.)
As with the previous two cast reveals, Grant’s role remains kept under wraps. That said, Variety reports (based on an unnamed source) that the actor will appear in just one episode. (The extent of both Mbatha-Raw and Wilson’s roles remain unknown.)
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Loki, which began preproduction in January, shared its first footage of star Tom Hiddleston (reprising his role, of course, as the titular Asgardian anti-hero) in a larger ad for Disney+ during the Superbowl. All six episodes of the series will be directed by Kate Herron (Sex Education), who will executive produce alongside writer Michael Waldron (Rick and Morty).
As of late February, the show is slated for an early 2021 release date on Disney+. This could have some interesting implications for two other big Disney/Marvel projects, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. Doctor Strange 2, which will be released on May 7. 2021, recently acquired Waldron as head writer, potentially paving the way for a Loki plot point or at least a cameo. As for Thor 4, an unnamed source recently told Fandom Wire that Loki will feature the trickster-god using the Tesseract in ways that will directly impact what happens in Taika Waititi’s upcoming film. (Potential spoilers at this link.)
Either way, we can’t quite fathom a Thor movie that doesn’t feature some kind of Loki-brained scheme. We’ll find out for sure when the film arrives in theaters November 2021.
