On Tuesday, Marvel fans were excited to learn that a new Thor film is on the way. The big news that arrived is that the Thor 4 director will be Taika Waititi, sending fans into a frenzy. So far, details are scarce about the new film, but there are tidbits to know about the man at the helm. So who is Taika Waititi, the Thor 4 director?
Waititi directed previous Marvel film
Taika Waititi directed the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe entry Thor: Ragnarok. That movie, starring Thor regulars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, went on to gross over $854 million globally over its lifetime in theaters, per Box Office Mojo.
It also brought Bruce Banner’s Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and new hero Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) into the mix. The film also helped to set up events for future Marvel films including Avengers: Endgame.
The movie is considered a hit based on its “fun-factor,” as it packed in more laughs than other Thor films may have. Rotten Tomatoes has the film’s critical consensus at a 93 percent score and shows an audience score of 87 percent.
Who is Taika Waititi?
While he also goes by the name Taika Cohen, the director is known as Taika Waititi on most of his film credits. He’s from Wellington, New Zealand and will be 44-years-old as of his birthday on August 16. Based on his social media posts on Instagram, he enjoys an occasional Los Angeles Lakers game courtside.
Taika achieved success with several of his films in New Zealand during the past decade. They included 2010’s Boy and 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Waititi directed a horror-comedy called What We Do in the Shadows in 2014, ahead of moving into the MCU.
Among his other directing credits are several TV series. They include as many as six episodes he directed for the shows “Flight of the Conchords,” “Super City” and “The Inbetweeners.” Waititi also will bring a Time Bandits series to Apple TV under his direction, but his next big screen project is JoJo Rabbit from Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Waititi doesn’t just direct, he’s also done some acting and voice work. He provided the voice for Thor: Ragnarok’s Korg, a humorous side character. Korg also showed up as one of Thor’s friends in Avengers: Endgame.
The New Zealand native is also listed for the upcoming Disney Plus exclusive series, “The Mandalorian.” Waititi will direct and lend his voice on at least the first episode. That show will debut later this year on the streaming network.
When does Waititi’s Thor 4 come out?
There are no Thor 4 plot details yet based on Hollywood Reporter’s report about the film’s director. The big mystery now is when Marvel slate a Thor 4 release date for. Details revealed so far were merely who the director is, and most likely that Chris Hemsworth will be attached to the project to reprise his role as Thor. It’s expected that Tessa Thompson will return as Valkyrie too.
There are plans to release a Guardians of the Galaxy 3 film in the future phase for the MCU, and that may also include Thor. The last that viewers saw of him, he headed off on an adventure with the Guardians of the Galaxy crew.
Marvel reportedly has plans for other new films including The Eternals, as well as sequels for Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel, with no solid release dates yet. However, there are those fans out there giving some early predictions.
Based on THR’s initial report, Waititi is putting another project on hold to direct Thor 4. That was scheduled for a May 21, 2021 release date, so that may give an indication of Thor 4’s year or timeframe for release.
With the next San Diego Comic-Con, there are expectations that fans could learn more about Thor 4 or other Marvel projects.
For more of a look at who director Taika Waititi is, check out his official Instagram with pictures and videos of his projects, interests, and more.