Alright, I’m being kind of a jerk. New Zealand-born Taika Waititi also co-directed (with Jemaine Clement) WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and is an Oscar nominee for his short film, TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT. He also has EAGLE VS. SHARK, BOY, and a couple of FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS eps under his belt. So it’s not like he’s just the actor from GREEN LANTERN and WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS.
But still…I didn’t see this coming.
Indeed, Taika Waititi is in negotiations with Marvel to direct their third THOR movie. Aside from the budget-restrained, goofy-as-all-hell fights in EAGLE VS. SHARK and SHADOWS, the guy has no experience with action, let alone on this scale. Plus, he’s primarily known as for his comic work, and THOR, despite its sometimes super-theatrical, “Doth mother know you weareth her drapes” gesticulating, is not exactly that.
But the idea of having an indie guy known for tiny New Zealand comedies helming RAGNAROK is certainly exciting, and is all but an admission that they’re going to be focusing as much on the character dynamics and humor as they are on the big ol’ grand spectacle of this story. Waititi is good at maintaining a certain tone without dipping too far into a certain category (SHADOWS is arguably a comedy/horror/mockumentary/bromance/parody without being only one of any of those things), and could possibly turn out a THOR that actually rivals the best of the MCU, for once.
But if you are skeptical as hell about this decision, I implore you to check out WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. Even if you’re still not onboard, you’ll laugh your ass off.
two cars, one night from kofe on Vimeo.
THOR: RAGNAROK may or may not feature angsty, identity-challenged werewolves on July 28th, 2017.
