Marvel is giving us some good news ahead of San Diego Comic-Con! It has been announced that Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, will return to write & direct Thor 4.
The drawback for Warner Bros. is that with him signing on, it puts the long-gestating adaptation of Japanese manga Akira further on hold. That project, which was penciled for a May 21, 2021, release and had Waititi testing actors in a worldwide search for talent, is being put on pause indefinitely because it now conflicts with his commitments on Thor 4. Akira was also dealing with script development concerns which caused Akira to push back its shooting start as well. Some of these issues were addressed but the production start on Thor 4 & Akira would be too close.
Waititi brought his own stamp to the Thor franchise with Ragnarok, infusing the movie with much-needed wit that was reminiscent of his previous work like What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Audiences responded to the tune of almost $854 million worldwide while critics’ raves put the movie at 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. He essentially breathed new life into a franchise that was in desperate need of it and maybe shaped the way the character of Thor was written moving forward.
