Taika Waititi will return to direct Thor 5, but only if Chris Hemsworth is in it

[Warning: Spoilers ahead! Last chance to turn back now if you’re not ready!]

Taika Waititi scored a Marvel home run with the critically acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok, but his newly-released follow-up Thor: Love and Thunder is having a more difficult time hitting the right bases.

The film currently stands at a mediocre 67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and has proved to be divisive among fans, although there might still be a shot at redemption to save the franchise.

In an interview with Insider, the director shared that he would return to direct the Thor 5 (or his third Thor movie) as long as leading star Chris Hemsworth is also involved.

Referring to the post-credits end slate that confirms “Thor will be back,” Waititi admitted he didn’t know that was going to be added to the end of the movie.

“That was a surprise to me, too. I’m not joking,” he said. “I saw it in the theatre and I was like, ‘Oh, shit. Really?’ Even Chris was like, ‘What?’ But, of course he’ll be back. He’s the best character. I mean, I may be a little biased, but he’s the most fun to watch.”

“Now, I don’t know what would be next. I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it,” Waititi added. “But it would need to be something surprising and unexpected for me to want to do it. Like what would be the new take? The battles and all the fighting is fine, but I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story. Like making just a US$5 million (S$7 million) movie with no fighting at all, just Thor on a road trip. Like ‘Nebraska.’”

While Thor: Love and Thunder did end off on a wholesome, positive note, with the titular Thunder of God becoming the guardian of Love, the daughter of Gorr the God Butcher, there seems to be more set up from a story perspective.

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Of the two post-credits scenes, one reveals that Zeus has tasked Hercules (played by Brett Goldstein) with getting revenge on Thor, which likely means that a Thor vs Hercules showdown is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Thor: Love and Thunder opened to a mighty US$302 million weekend box office globally, and has become the third-biggest opening weekend of the year so far.

Considering how Waititi is currently taking a break from the MCU to direct a Star Wars movie for Disney and Lucasfilm, it’ll certainly be a while before Thor 5 is due to arrive.

Nothing much is known about the project set in a universe far, far away, except that it won’t build on pre-existing storylines, lore, or canon.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.