The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Taika Waititi will be returning to the MCU for the follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok. Injecting some much-needed levity and spunk into the Asgardian god, Waititi’s turn for the MCU resulted in my personal favorite film from the long-running franchise. It’s nice to hear that Marvel isn’t passing on him for whatever form Thor 4 takes.
Sadly, his tenure with Marvel comes at a cost. The recently confirmed Waititi helmed Akira adaptation has now been put on indefinite hold as the director squares away the next adventure for Thor. Previously scheduled for a release on May 21, 2021, it seems Marvel is eyeing a similar date for Thor and some script concerns caused Warner Bros. to push Akira back. There’s no word on whether or not Waititi will continue on with the project, though it seems he’ll resume work once everything is done with Thor.
While this is bad news for anyone looking forward to the live-action telling of Akira, at least Waititi is keeping busy. Considering what Thor was before the director took it over, I’d rather we get another entry from him than for Marvel to pass it off to someone else. One of Marvel’s biggest problems has been its inability to keep directors long term, which has led to radically different visions of the same character. With their hold on the Russo Brothers for Avengers, Waititi for Thor, and Jon Watts for Spider-Man, the future is looking up for the MCU.
Taika Waititi to Direct ‘Thor 4‘ (Exclusive) [The Hollywood Reporter]
