Taika Waititi — who directed Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder — dashed any hopes of himself helming Thor 5.
While doing press for his new movie, Next Goal Wins, Waititi downplayed any involvement in next Thor movie to Business Insider. When asked directly about the rumors that production on Thor 5 has begun without him, Waititi replied, “I wouldn't know if that's accurate. I know that I won't be involved. I'm going to concentrate on these other films that I've signed on for.”
Two of those projects include an adaptation of Alejandro Jodorowsky's graphic novel The Incal and a Star Wars movie. “It's still marinating,” said Waititi about the Star Wars project. “I've been writing it.” Before Waititi tackles those movies, he will focus on Klara and the Sun, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. “So that's six, seven years gone,” Waititi said. “I'd imagine another Thor would be a lot sooner than that.”
Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder Divided Fans and Critics
The fourth Thor film, Thor: Love and Thunder, divided fans and critics alike because of its lighthearted, comical tone. “I don’t think it’s far-fetched to expect change in a character like Thor,” said Waititi in the official production notes for Thor: Love and Thunder. “He’s been around for a long time, so there’s time for him to go through different phases. I was relieved when I knew how high he was testing in the Ragnarok screenings, but it was also a sense of pride that we’d managed to reinvent this character in a way that made the film do well but also made people want to see more of him.” He continued:
“One of the cool things about Marvel films is this ability to embrace various genres within a single film. It keeps audiences guessing, and the characters within these different genres then feel different all the time. When we came up with Thor: Love and Thunder, we knew the fans would really freak out about it, and it really does suggest a lot of what the film is about.”
If Taika Waititi is distancing himself from Marvel — on the receiving end of much bad press lately — the director has not fully shut the door. “I would never feel like they are cheating on me,” the Oscar winner said to Business Insider about Marvel making another Thor movie without him. “We're in an open relationship, and it's like if they want to see other people, I'm happy for that. I'd still get back into bed with them one day.”