If you asked most fans of the MCU, the Thor franchise is the most disappointing entry so far. Despite leading men like Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki), the fantasy action films have not reached their full potential. We’ve known that Thor: Ragnarok will be coming to theaters in a few years since late last year but no director has been attached, until today.
According to The Wrap, director Taika Waititi is currently in negotiations to direct Thor: Ragnarok, the third installment in the Thor franchise. Hemsworth, Hiddleston, and Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif) have also been confirmed to reprise their roles in the next film.
“Flight of the Conchords” director Taika Waititi is in negotiations to direct “Thor: Ragnarok” for Marvel, an individual with knowledge of the situation has told TheWrap. Waititi beat out Ruben Fleischer for the coveted job. He follows in the footsteps of Kenneth Branagh (Thor) and Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World). A representative for Marvel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At first glance, Waititi is an extremely unusual choice for Marvel. He’s probably best known for directing episodes of Flight of the Concords, as well as a couple of small comedies in the New Zealand film scene. He doesn’t have the level of experience you’d expect for directing a mythological apocalypse. But Joe and Anthony Russo almost exclusively directed episodes of American sitcoms when they were hired for Captain America 2. Marvel’s experience with the Russos was so positive that they hired them for their three biggest films: Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War parts I & II. James Gunn was similarly green, having never directed a major studio film before getting a $200m+ budget for Guardians of the Galaxy.
Waititi, as well as Spider-Man director Jon Watts, are not as experienced as the Russos and Gunn. But for Phase 3, it looks like Marvel is more interested in idiosyncratic outsiders than the usual studio directors. The behind-the-camera talent of Phase Three is shaping up to be a truly odd, unique class of filmmakers.
Thor: Ragnarok will take a page from the comics and tell a variation of the Ragnarok story. Ragnarok is the end times and features the fall of Asgard. Familiar faces such as Odin, the Warriors 3, and Heimdall should all return, and we could meet new characters such as Surtur, Beta Ray Bill, and Valkyrie.
Thor: Ragnarok is set to hit theaters November 3, 2017.
Source: The Wrap.