Marvel Studios has certainly made some unique and daring choices when it comes to the filmmakers that they bring in to build and shape the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After Jon Favreau, Louis Leterrier, Kenneth Branagh, Joe Johnston, and Joss Whedon laid the groundwork in Phase One, talented individuals such as Shane Black, Alan Taylor, and James Gunn brought things to a whole new level in Phase Two. However, the most surprising new additions to the House of Ideas were Anthony and Joe Russo. Known for their work on TV comedies such as ‘Happy Endings’, ‘Community’, and ‘Arrested Development’, the Russos made major waves when they directed ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (which is arguably the best Marvel movie released so far). As the duo prepares for ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, it appears that the studio is investing in another unorthodox choice to helm an upcoming Phase Three film.
According to The Wrap, Taika Waititi is currently in negotiations to direct ‘Thor: Ragnarok.’ Known for indie rom-com ‘Eagle vs Shark’, vampire mockumentary ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, and acclaimed HBO musical comedy series ‘Flight of the Concords’, the Academy Award nominated filmmaker from New Zealand reportedly beat out ‘Zombieland’ director Ruben Fleischer, ‘Goosebumps’ director Rob Letterman, Rawson Marshall Thurber of ‘We’re The Millers’ and ‘Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story’ for the job. And while he may have topped the box office in his homeland when his 2010 movie ‘Boy’ became the top grossing film in New Zealand, this film would mark his first big Hollywood project behind the camera (since he previously appeared onscreen in ‘Green Lantern’ as Thomas Kalmaku) and his first big budget, CGI-heavy feature film in general.
Though not much is known about the Asgardian Avenger’s third solo adventure so far, Ragnarok refers to an event in Norse mythology that results in the deaths of many gods. Some may recall that ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (and its deleted scenes of Thor in the cave) teased this a little bit. But all this sounds a little heavy for a comedy director to tackle, no? Well, like I said before, Marvel took a gamble with a talented pair of comedy directors and it paid off big time. The same happened when ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ landed indie fan favorite James Gunn. And considering that ‘Thor: The Dark World’ had it’s problems, the God of Thunder could use a big change up like this to revitalize the franchise that some could say is largely being fueled only by Tom Hiddleston and his portrayal of the mischievous Loki.
What do you think about Taika Waititi directing ‘Thor: Ragnarok’? Do you think that he’ll find success in the MCU with a more serious property as fellow comedy filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo did? Let us know in the comments below.
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ starring Chris Hemsworth, Jamie Alexander, and Tom Hiddleston strikes theaters on November 3, 2017.