The first Thor movie served as a solid introduction for the God of Thunder, but the epic, sprawling Game of Thrones-inspired sequel we were promised ended up being...Thor: The Dark World.
The franchise was in need of saving after that, and Taika Waititi delivered on all fronts with 2017's Thor: Ragnarok. Adding some humour to the hero's world, the filmmaker explored new sides of the character and helped set the stage for that compelling story arc we saw continue in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Waititi is expected to helm a Star Wars movie after Thor: Love and Thunder, but will he return to the MCU to conclude this trilogy with a Thor 5?
"I haven't thought about it as part of a new trilogy, because every time I make a film, I think, 'I'm never doing that again,'" Waititi admitted during an interview with Fandango, "because they're just too hard."
"There's any film and I've done it eight times now. Eight times I've said, 'I think I'm just going to pack it in. I had a good run.' And then, sure enough, get lured back in with a Yankee dollar," he joked. "Lured back in by them cookies...and them Oscars."
We don't know how much longer Hemsworth will continue playing Thor, but he's one of the final original Avengers standing at this point. It would be a real shock for Marvel Studios not to bring Waititi back, especially as that Jason Aaron storyline featuring the God of Thunder teaming up with his younger self and an ancient King Thor feels like the perfect basis for a movie...
The movie finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor.
Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
Directed by Taika Waititi, the movie stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Russell Crowe, Jaimie Alexander, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, and Sean Gunn among others.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to be released in theaters on July 8, 2022.