Taika Waititi Reveals He’s Playing Korg in ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ the Film’s ‘Most Lovable Character’

Taika Waititi loves putting himself in his movies. He was covered in blood What We Do In the Shadows and a zany preacher at a funeral in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. And you can bet the New Zealand filmmaker will show up in his Thor: Ragnarok.

In the upcoming film, Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder will make a new friend while hanging out in Sakaar, an eight-foot friend made out of rocks. Korg is Kronan rock warrior from the Planet Hulk comic book storyline who’s held prisoner on the Red King’s planet. In Ragnarok Thor will meet Korg while dueling in the Grandmaster’s (Jeff Goldblum) gladiator pit, where Hemsworth’s superhero will also reunite with his pal, Mark Ruffalo’s The Hulk, as teased in the first trailer.

Waititi told Entertainment Weekly that he didn’t initially plan to cast himself as Korg, and actually envisioned someone like Dwayne Johnson in the role. But as bulky and mountainous as Korg is, Waititi describes him as the most lovable character in the film. “We wanted to change the idea of what a hulking guy made of rocks could be,” the director told the magazine. “He’s huge and heavy, but with a light soul. We wanted to make him funny and a relatable entry point into this world. And Thor needs friends.” According to a scene shown to a group of journalists by Marvel on Monday, Waititi’s Korg has some charming, humorous lines (because of course).

Marvel fans may notice that Korg already appeared in the MCU when Thor smashed the rock creature to pieces in Thor: The Dark World. But it seems Waititi is establishing his character as the true introduction of Korg and writing off that previous one as another member of the Kronan species instead. Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters November 3.