‘Thor 4’ Coming From Director Taika Waititi As Live-Action ‘Akira’ Is Put On Hold Indefinitely
Taika Waititiis coming back for moreThor. TheThor: Ragnarokdirector will return to the MCU to helmThor 4, the first fourth film in a series that Marvel Studios has committed to so far. Waititi will write and direct the fourth installment in theThorfranchise, which will presumably once again seeChris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder charming us all with his impeccable abs and comedic timing. Waititi is a busy guy, and his name has been attached to several projects – most notably the long-gestating live-actionAkira. But now that film is on hold indefinitely, and it might be time to throw in the towel on that project altogether.
TheThorfranchise was a bit of a wet blanket on the MCU. Then Taika Waititi came along withThor: Ragnarok, and gave it new life. Waititi brought a much-needed sense of humor to the character, resulting in a major shift in Thor in general. AfterRagnarok, Chris Hemsworth pushed to make Thor more comedic in bothAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame, and we all reaped the bounty of that decision.
With all the praise piled onRagnarok, it’s understandable that Marvel wants Waititi back to helm the nextThorfilm and have signed him to write and directThor 4(perTHR). What makes this situation particularly unique is that for all their many films, Marvel has never made a fourth entry in a series.Iron ManandCaptain Americaboth got trilogies, and up until now,Thorwas perceived as a trilogy as well. Now here comesThor 4.
There are no story details available forThor 4yet, but it’s likely that the plot will involve Hemsworth’s Thor,Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, and the survivors of Asgard, who are now living in Norway. There’s also a chance the plot will carry over from the nextGuardians of the Galaxysequel, as the conclusion ofEndgamesaw Thor blasting off into space with the Guardians. This is all speculation, though.
Meanwhile, Waititi’s commitment toThor 4comes at the cost of another film:Akira. The director was in the midst of a talent search for the film, while also dealing with script issues that pushed the original shooting start back. THR says the bulk of the script problems have been resolved, but the schedule forAkirawas too close to the schedule forThor 4, andAkirais now on hold. Maybe it can just stay on hold forever?
There’s noThor 4release date yet, but Marvel is expected to have a big presence at San Diego Comic-Con this week, so we’ll likely learn even more about the sequel in the days to come.
