Marvel Studios' phase four has seen a lot of successful projects, and it appears the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder will be no different. Filmmaker Taika Waititi, who is returning after making his MCU debut directing 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, has opened up about the upcoming sequel and what fans can expect out of Thor's next chapter.
Following the events of 2019's climactic Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder sees the return of Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder, as he is in search of inner peace this time around. But when a new enemy emerges in the form of Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher, Thor is forced to recruit new allies in order to stop the Galactic threat from eliminating all gods.
In an interview with Empire, Waititi expressed his excitement for Thor: Love and Thunder, sharing that he is really proud of what he and the whole production team cooked up. “It’s a fantastic film... I don’t try to control my films, or how they turn out... I sort of let them appear to me," Waititi said. "And with this film, I’m like, ‘Hey, you’re kind of cooler than the thing I was originally hoping to make.’ Tonally it’s where I’ve always wanted it.”
Waititi would also go on to add how the challenge of taking a story that may feel a little cringey on paper and turning it into something very cool was an exciting one. “I wanted to embrace this thing that I was always a bit dismissive of, and explore this idea of love, and show characters who do believe in love," Waititi shared. "On paper, it feels kind of cringey to me, but there’s a way of doing it with cool characters making a cool movie, and also having a thing that no fan ever wants in a superhero movie, which is people talking about love, and characters kissing.”
After the release of Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi is now known for revitalizing Thor and injecting this new energy into the character, an aspect that was missing in its two darker, more dull predecessors. Now reading through his recent comments with Empire, it looks like Thor: Love and Thunder will carry over the same excitement from Ragnarok and become a worthy addition to this ongoing universe.
Other than focusing on Hemsworth's titular hero and what will likely be a worthy addition to the MCU with Bale's villain, Thor: Love and Thunder will also explore Valkyrie's (Tessa Thompson) rule as the new king and showcase Natalie Portman's Jane Foster - the astrophysicist and ex-lover of Thor who is making her first return since Thor: The Dark World - taking up the mantle of the God of Thunder. Waititi also hopes to delve deeper into the culture of Korg and introduce the Space Sharks alien race.
Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive in theatres on July 8, 2022.
Source: Empire