From the moment it was announced that Kenneth Branagh would not be at the helm for Marvels planned sequel to
THOR, there has been no lack of speculation concerning the reason for his decision. Over a month ago our own
WaylonJones reported Branagh saying the following to
Moviefone.
"It was simply timing. I loved doing the movie, I'd love to do another movie for Marvel, and it was just timing. The requirement for me was just to get back in the saddle so swiftly that it wasn't really feasible, but it was a decision [Marvel] understood."
Still, there were some who doubted that this "timing issue" was actually the reason behind his absence from the project. Now, speaking with
metro.us he elaborates a little more as to why the timing was wrong. Hopefully, the following can lay some of the speculation surrounding his desicion to rest.
Can you talk about your own decision not to do “Thor 2”?
I was proud of [“Thor”] and it was a lot of work, and it was a big risk for everybody — for Marvel employing somebody like me, for taking that character into a major film, for everything. So I was thrilled [the sequel] was being made. But it was happening so quickly. It was straight back in, and I needed time away from it, I needed to have a think. The third series “Wallander,” the TV series I do, was already on the cards, as well as a farce called “the Painkiller,” a play I did in Belfast — my hometown, very important to me — which I was in was in September and October. These things were already lined up, and it just wasn’t going to be possible to do all of them. It was a timing thing and a creative freshness kind of thing. And I wasn’t able to go straight back in and do the job that I knew that it deserved.
Marvel has hired Alan Taylor to direct
THOR 2 which is slated for release November 15, 2013.