Taika Waititi quickly earned the love of countless Marvel fans when he brought his own hilariously quirky style to the director’s chair ofThor: Ragnarokand Jeff Goldblum fans also treated it to an approving nod. But somehow, it appears as though that film wasn’t quite “out there” enough for the New Zealand native filmmaker. His next entry in the series,Thor: Love and Thunder, seems poised to surpass the previous entry’s zaniness, but he’s not quite sure the world is ready for such a thing.
Thor: Ragnarok, for those who have tragically forgotten, introduced such treasures as a talking rock man voiced by Waititi, naked Hulk, and perhaps the most satisfying use of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” ever committed to film. Yet somehow, the universe has deemed the time right for more of whatever that was, andtheWhat We Do in the Shadowsco-creatoris ready to answer the call.
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Waititi recently spoke with Empire about the upcoming sequel, and he seemed as baffled as anyone that Marvel has continued to let him make movies for them. “It’s the craziest film I’ve ever done,” he said aboutThor: Love and Thunder.“If you wrote down all the elements of this film, it shouldn’t make sense. It’s almost like it shouldn’t be made.” Coming from the same person who’s currently working on apirate comedy series for HBO Max, these words just inspire the imagination and leave audiences wondering what kind of madness they’re in for.
Waititi continued, accentuating just how bizarre the whole situation is. “If you walked into a room and said, ‘I want this and this and this.’ Who’s in it? ‘These people.’ What are you going to call it? ‘Love And Thunder.’ I mean, you’d never work again. Maybe I won’t after this,” he said. So, taking a step back here, the director who got Sir Anthony Hopkins to utter “oh sh*t” thinks this film will be so mind-bending wacky that Marvel will never invite him back to the playground. Darn if that isn’t the best marketing strategyThor: Love and Thundercould ask for.
Waititi is a director whose instantly recognizable brandof humor permeates even his more serious projects likeHunt for the WilderpeopleandJojo Rabbit. So if that’s how his movies turn out when he’s holding back, just imagine what’s in store for audiences whenThor:Love and Thunderblasts into their eye holes. Just the very idea ofThor: Ragnarokcranked up to 11 should be enough to catch the interest of anybody who’s ever chuckled at the “he’s a friend from work” line.
Hungry fans still have a bit of time beforeThor: Love and Thunderis unleashed to spread its particular brand of strange throughout the world, and Waititi’s comments likely only make the wait that much more agonizing. But in the meantime, there’s always time to rewatch theMark Hamill episode ofWhat We Do in the Shadowson repeat.
Thor: Love and Thunderwill release in the U.S. on May 6th, 2022.
