Taika Waititi reveals the epic way he's bringing a touch of Māori to Thor

Taika Waititi has cast himself in his upcoming Marvel film, Thor: Ragnarok – and his character will have a Māori accent.

According to Vanity Fair, Marvel Studios invited journalists to their offices on Monday to unveil material from their slate of upcoming films.

Waititi was present, and reportedly revealed one of the new characters in Ragnarok will be played by none other than Taika Waititi.

The Kiwi director will play Korg, a large, rocky beast from the comics that joins Chris Hemsworth's Thor in the gladiator ring.

Vanity Fair reports Waititi will be bringing his Kiwi roots to the role, playing Korg with a "lilting Māori accent".

Waititi said he initially wanted to cast Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the role, but joked "there wasn’t enough chicken and salmon in New Zealand" to sustain the muscles of him and Hemsworth.

Fans of the director are used to his cameos in his films – from his loveable vampire in What We Do in the Shadows to the awkward minister in Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

If the "skux life" graffiti in the trailer wasn't enough to get us excited for Thor: Ragnarok, this definitely is. Go Taika!

This article was first published on spy.co.nz and is republished here with permission.