2017 is here, which means we now live in the year in which Thor: Ragnarok will hit theaters. Granted, the Thor franchise both critically and commercially has been a struggling point for Marvel Studios, but hopes are sky high for Ragnarok—especially after reading the just-released synopsis. Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows filmmaker Taika Waititi directs this sequel, which finds Chris Hemsworth’s Thor sharing the screen with Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. How do the two characters come to be together, you ask? Well the official synopsis (kind of) has the answer:

In Marvel Studios’ ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk!

thor-the-dark-world-chris-hemsworth
Image via Marvel Studios

So it sounds like Ragnarok is incorporating elements of the Planet Hulk comics storyline that found Hulk fighting in gladiatorial matches in outer space. This feels like a tonally dynamic sequel with plenty of opportunity for fun, which makes Waititi’s hiring a perfect match.

What else do we know about Thor: Ragnarok? Well, Cate Blanchett fills the role of the villainous Hela, marking a massive casting coup for Marvel. And Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki for the first time since Thor: The Dark World. We’ll also be introduced to Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, a cosmic being fascinated with game and chance who also happens to be one of the Elders of the Universe. And there’s Karl Urban as the villainous Skurge, an Asgardian warrior who is likely Hela’s right hand man. Last but not least, there’s Tessa Thompson as the Asgardian warrior Valkyrie, one of the film’s most anticipated characters.

The synopsis also reveals that the final screenplay credits are as follows: Story by comics writer (and Planet Hulk creator) Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (Thor: The Dark World) and Stephany Folsom, with the “screenplay by” credit going to Eric Pearson, the writer of the Marvel One-Shots Agent Carter, Item 47, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer, and The Consultant.

Check out the first image from the film below. Thor: Ragnarok also stars Idris Elba and Anthony Hopkins and opens in theaters on November 3rd.

thor-ragnarok-chris-hemsworth-taika-waititi
Image via Marvel Studios
thor-ragnarok-cate-blanchett-hela
Image via Marvel