‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Hammering Out Director Deal With Taika Waititi
We’re hearing that Taika Waititi, the New Zealand-born director whose credits include the indie Eagle Vs Shark and last year’s Sundance vampire mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows, is in negotiations with Marvel to direct Thor: Ragnarok, the third pic in Disney/Marvel superhero franchise. Marvel declined comment.
Disney has already staked out a November 3, 2017, release date for Thor 3 amid its Marvel catalog. Of course Thor is part of The Avengers so Chris Hemsworth’s hammer-wielding Norse god is all over the studio’s superhero slate.
Alan Taylor directed the most recent pic, Thor: The Dark World, which Disney released in November 2013 to a worldwide gross of $644.8M. That came after Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, kicked things off in summer 2011 making $449.3M.
Waititi, who has had some experience in superhero movies — he appeared as an actor in Martin Campbell’s 2011 effort Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds — will be directing a script by Thor: The Dark World co-scribe Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle, Marvel’s SVP Production and Development, recruiting to the scribe side by Marvel boss Kevin Feige.
Waititi is an Oscar nominee for his first pic, the 2005 live-action short Two Cars, One Night, and his New Zealand pic Boy was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2010 and won an audience award at AFI Fest. He spent a decade with fellow Kiwi Jemaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) to develop, co-write, co-direct and star in What We Do In The Shadows, which grossed $3 million during runs in Australia and New Zealand after bowing at Sundance 2014. Here’s that trailer:
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