‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Director On Why He Changed Grandmaster’s Appearance

Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has opened up on why he chose to change the appearance of Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster in the upcoming film which features the Grandmaster running the Contest of Champions on the planet Sakaar.

In the comics, Grandmaster, one of the Elders of the Universe, is a cosmic game player in pursuit of amusement who possesses blue skin but in the new film, Waititi has chosen to forego the blue skin for much more human-like appearance.

The director recently offered a rather simple explanation telling IGN “Because he did another movie where he was blue,” referring to the 1988 cult classic Earth Girls Are Easy which featured Goldblum as a blue alien alongside Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey also as aliens as they came to Earth seeking female companionship.

Considering the film flopped at the box office, it’s understandable why Waititi would want to avoid any possible comparisons between Grandmaster and Goldblum’s furry blue alien Mac.

The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hiddleston, Tessa Thompson, Idris Elba, Karl Urban, Anthony Hopkins, and Jeff Goldblum.

Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), his former ally and fellow Avenger. Thor’s quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization.