Taika Waititi Will Direct THOR: RAGNAROK
What has been the most consistently subpar Marvel franchise? Easy: the Thor films. Even if you like the two movies so far you have to admit that they've been the weakest entries in the MCU. With Thor: Ragnarok supposedly filling the Captain America: The Winter Soldier slot of "fucking shit up in the MCU" we have all been wondering if this third movie will break the streak of subpar films.
A good director is no guarantee - we all thought Kenneth Branagh and Alan Taylor would make good films - but a truly left field director... that's exciting. That makes you hopeful. And it looks like Marvel is going really left field with Ragnorak and Taika Waititi is in final negotiations to direct.
If you've seen Waititi's What We Do In The Shadows you will now be ecstatic. If you have not - go see it! NOW! It's a vampire comedy that perfectly mixes jokes, lore and real character work.
Waititi has directed a couple of smaller indie comedies - Boy and Eagle vs Shark - but I get why What We Do In The Shadows put him on Marvel's radar. The question is how Waititi handles the film, one that will be full of big FX and probably some meddling by the studio... although now that Kevin Feige is free of mad billionaires and the Creative Committee who knows what happens.
Waititi also marks a huge Marvel milestone: he's the studio's first non-white director. He's half-Maori, and Marvel didn't feel the need to put him on a South Pacific movie, they gave him one of the uber-white people films (Aryan Nation types LOVE Norse mythology). It's so goddamned cool.
I can't wait to see what Waititi does with this film. I hope the new Marvel allows a smart, sensitive and funny filmmaker to flourish and that he doesn't get Edgar Wrighted.
