Moviefone Editorial

Tag: thor: ragnarok director

  • ‘Thor 4’ Is Happening, With Taika Waititi Returning to Write and Direct

    ‘Thor 4’ Is Happening, With Taika Waititi Returning to Write and Direct

    Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios

    As the MCU moves into its next phase, the “Thor” franchise will continue: “Thor 4” is officially in the works, with “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi once again at the helm.

    The scoop comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which says that Waititi has just signed on to both write and direct the latest flick following the God of Thunder. As is typical with Marvel projects, no details about the potential plot were revealed, though there are a number of different directions in which Waititi and co. can take the franchise moving forward, considering where Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) ended up at the conclusion of “Avengers: Endgame.”

    When we last saw our heroes, Thor was jetting off to join the Guardians of the Galaxy gang (perhaps setting up a cameo in “Guardians vol. 3”), while Valkyrie had taken over as the ruler of the Asgardians. Hemsworth is expected to return for “Thor 4,” according to THR, though there’s no word yet on Thompson’s involvement.

    What is more clear, however, is how “Thor 4” will affect Waititi’s upcoming flick “Akira,” the live-action remake of the anime classic. That Warner Bros. project, which had been languishing in development for quite some time, was delayed by scripting changes that pushed back its production start date, which in turn put it in conflict with “Thor 4.” Now that Waititi has committed to the latter film, Warner Bros. is putting “Akira” on indefinite hold; while it’s not a done deal yet, THR says that the studio may simply wait for the director to wrap “Thor 4,” and save the project for him to tackle after he finishes the Marvel movie.

    Stay tuned to see when “Thor 4” is expected to hit theaters.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]

  • Taika Waititi Won’t Replace James Gunn on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’

    Taika Waititi Won’t Replace James Gunn on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’

    Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios

    The Guardians of the Galaxy are still without a leader behind the lens, following the controversial firing of writer-director James Gunn last summer. And now, one high-profile candidate has taken himself out of the running for the gig.

    During an appearance at the Television Critics Association winter press tour to promote his new FX series, “What We Do in the Shadows” (based on his film of the same name), Taika Waititi addressed the rampant rumors that Marvel wants him to take over the “Guardians” franchise from Gunn. When asked if he had met with studio heads to discuss the possibility, Waititi said he “didn’t really,” adding that he didn’t think it was appropriate for him to replace the dismissed director.

    He explained:

    “For me, those are James (Gunn)’s films. Going into something like that with his stamp all over his films, would be like going into someone’s house and saying ‘Hey, I’m your new dad, and this is how we make peanut butter sandwiches now.’ It feels kind of awkward.”

    We don’t blame Waititi for feeling that way at all, and imagine many other directors share that sentiment, too, since Disney and Marvel haven’t been able to find anyone else to take the job, either. But despite Waititi’s reluctance to head up “Guardians 3,” the “Thor: Ragnarok” director said he has a great relationship with the folks from the MCU.

    “I’m still hanging out with those guys (Marvel) and talking about new stuff,” he told the TCA crowd. ” … I want to do another movie with them.”

    Here’s hoping we see that one sooner than we see “Guardians 3” (if that flick ever materializes).

    [via: Deadline]

  • ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Director Wants to Make a ‘Funny’ Black Widow Movie

    The upcoming Marvel threequel “Thor: Ragnarok” has been touted as one of the funniest superhero flicks in recent memory, thanks in large part to the comedic sensibilities of director Taika Waititi. And while the comic studio no doubt wants to keep Waititi in the Marvel family, the director has a surprising choice for his next dream superhero project.

    In an interview with io9, the helmer said he was confident he “could probably bring something pretty unique to any of the franchises,” but had one character in particular in mind.

    “I’d love to see Black Widow” headline her own film, Waititi told the site, adding that he wanted to make the Scarlett Johansson character “something crazy and a bit funnier than we expect it to be.”

    Acknowledging that the hero’s backstory is “very sullen and very dark and her history is very dark,” the director said he wanted to delve deeper beyond that known persona.

    “What’s the funny version of that?” the director mused of a Black Widow flick concept. “What’s the more entertaining version of that?”

    Based on the early buzz surrounding “Ragnarok,” and particularly the joy that Waititi brings to the film, we’d definitely be eager to see what he could do with a Natasha Romanoff standalone. Keep your fingers crossed that Marvel finally listens to fans and just makes a damn Black Widow movie already.

    [via: io9]

  • Go Behind the Scenes of the ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Set as Production Wraps

    thor, thor: ragnarok, ragnarok, set tour, behind the scenes, production, wrap, taika waititi, chris hemsworth, tessa thompsonThe third entry in the “Thor” franchise, “Thor: Ragnarok,” wrapped production this week, and to celebrate, director Taika Waititi took fans on a behind the scenes tour of the film’s set, complete with cameos from two of the film’s stars.

    In a Facebook Live video, Waititi gave viewers an inside look at what appeared to be the filming of a battle scene — or its aftermath — on the edge of a small lake near Australia’s Gold Coast. The set was covered in huge piles of debris, and the director described the landscape as a “sci-fi space wasteland.”

    Extras dressed in heavy cloaks were everywhere, and Waititi described their characters as “scrappers.” He also briefly took viewers inside a spaceship, and showed off some curious-looking weapons.

    The director then bumped into Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, and costar Tessa Thompson, who’s playing Norse goddess Valkyrie. Thompson still had some of her makeup on, sporting what looked like war paint, though the actress played coy about what those marks meant for her character.

    There was plenty of reference to things that Waititi and co. could or could not show viewers, with the director at one point panning down to his feet to avoid revealing a particular part of the set. A crew member also showed off a Ragnarok emblem, but Waititi said its meaning has to be kept under wraps for now.

    Despite the secrecy, Hemsworth noted that he and the rest of the crew were excited to have fans finally see “the awesomeness that is this film.” We’re sure Marvel lovers feel the same way.

    “Thor: Ragnarok” is due in theaters on November 3, 2017.

    [via: Marvel Studios/Facebook]

    Photo credit: Marvel Studios/Facebook

  • Thor Pranks ‘Ragnarok’ Director Taika Waititi in New Set Photo

    As “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” demonstrated, superheroes have been taking themselves a bit too seriously lately. Thankfully, the filmmakers behind the upcoming threequel “Thor: Ragnarok” are here to bring some levity to the universe-saving proceedings.

    In a new photo posted on Twitter, “Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi shared a snap of what he claimed was a prank pulled by Thor himself, a.k.a. actor Chris Hemsworth. The pic shows Thor’s legendary hammer sitting atop a closed toilet — and the weapon’s insanely ridiculous power and weight has now prevented the poor director from using said facility.


    Obviously, this snap is only a sight gag, since we know the actual prop hammer can’t possibly be as hard-hitting as the mystical one depicted in the movies. But the joke certainly speaks to the lighthearted tone Waititi is already setting for the production, and makes us hopeful that Marvel can return some fun to the superhero genre. With idiosyncratic casting choices like Jeff Goldblum (who’s basically going to be playing a villainous version of himself), it looks like Waititi and co. are well on their way to achieving that goal.

    “Thor: Ragnarok” is due in theaters on November 3, 2017.

    [via: Taika Waititi]

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