Chris Hemsworth says that theThorfranchise was in “desperate” need of someone like director Taika Waititi. The actor has been pretty vocal about how burnt out he was on playing The God of Thunder on the big screen before Marvel Studios hooked up with Waititi forThor: Ragnarok. While the previous two installments had been successes at the box office, and moderate hits with critics, Hemsworth was beginning to find the whole deal to be rather tedious and felt a big change was necessary to move forward.
In a new interview promotingExtraction,Chris Hemsworthlooked back at makingThor: Ragnarokand working with Taika Waititi. The third installment in the series was a sharp left turn from what had come before. It was bright, colorful, unpredictable, and funny. The God of Thunder had jokes and humorous characters around him this time around, thanks to the guidance and imagination of Waititi. Hemsworth had this to say about working with the director.
“He’s insanely fun. But don’t mistake that child-like, frantic energy for someone who isn’t prepared. That’s quite a unique combination, that he has the ability to, through humor, put you at ease, but is also armed with all the knowledge that a director needs to lead you through the process. And it came at a time when I desperately wanted there to be more humor to the character.”
While some Marvel Cinematic Universe devotees prefer the old brooding version of Thor, a lot more were into the fun version thatTaika Waititihelped to introduce. WhenRagnarokhit theaters, many were under the impression that it would be the final installment. However, it wasn’t long before Waititi and Chris Hemsworth were privately trading ideas back and forth, slowly admitting to the public that a sequel was possible, while being careful not to promise anything.
Thor: Love and Thunderwas officially announced last summer, right before Taika Waititi started to get another boost of creative energy, along with some major accolades. The director pretty much works non-stop and last year, he was able to help reinvigorate theStar Warsfranchise withThe Mandalorian, while also putting out his Academy Award winning movieJojo Rabbit. “I was certainly happy for him when he won and it was a pretty special moment,” says Chris Hemsworth, though he admits he didn’t see any of the other movies his friend was up against.
In addition to a bunch of his own upcoming projects, Taika Waititi is also officially going to make his ownStar Warsmovie. This had been rumored sinceThe Mandalorianpremiered, but was finally confirmed last week by the director and Lucasfilm. As to what that movie will be about, that’s anybody’s guess. But, it will more than likely have some of the same attributes that have gotten him to this point, including some a serious and thoughtful take on humor. The interview with Chris Hemsworth was originally conducted byGQ Australia.
