THOR Director Kenneth Branagh Reveals Why He Decided Not To Direct THOR: THE DARK WORLD

THOR Director Kenneth Branagh Reveals Why He Decided Not To Direct THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Thor was a hit, but director Kenneth Branagh didn't return for the sequel (which was a surprise considering he's never had a bad word to say about Marvel Studios). Now, the filmmaker has explained why...

News
By JoshWilding - Jun 15, 2020 07:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Thor: The Dark World
Source: Collider

Despite the fact that non-comic book fans didn't really know who Thor was before 2011, the movie ended up being a critical and commercial hit. However, director Kenneth Branagh decided against returning for the sequel, and Thor: The Dark World ended up being helmed by Alan Taylor instead. 

Now, while doing the rounds to promote Artemis Fowl, the filmmaker has explained why he decided against returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for another movie starring the God of Thunder.

"When the first one was finished, essentially it had been three fantastic years of my life, but I needed to recharge on something else," Branagh explained in an interview with Collider. "I was too close to the glass on that one, so I would definitely never say never again because it changed my life and changed my career and I’m profoundly grateful for it."

These days, the Thor franchise is in the hands of Taika Waititi, so it's unlikely Branagh would be able to take another crack at the character. There are other properties Marvel Studios might like him to adapt, but whether that will be the case after Artemis Fowl is hard to say (it's unlikely how that movie turned out was entirely his fault after Disney made huge changes via reshoots).

Are you disappointed Branagh didn't end up taking charge of Thor: The Dark World?

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GhostDog
GhostDog - 6/15/2020, 7:23 AM
He dodged a MASSIVE bullet
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 6/15/2020, 7:26 AM
''it's unlikely how that turned out was entirely his fault after Disney made huge changes via reshoots''

Is it time for a #ReleaseTheKennethBranaghCut already?
DarkDetective
DarkDetective - 6/15/2020, 7:39 AM
Looking back, Alan Taylor was a perfect fit for Thor. He was a Game of Thrones veteran and directed some of the best episodes. Thats what Thor should have been, Marvel’s Game of Thrones, with heavy Nordic Mythology influences and wars between realms and kingdoms, a constant battle for the Throne, etc. If executed well, it could have been wonderful. Despite me loving Ragnarok, its now Guardians of the Galaxy 2.0
mdwilliamson24
mdwilliamson24 - 6/15/2020, 8:44 AM
@DarkDetective - On paper, Taylor did seem right for the job.
However, he never had helmed a large scale big budget production before, and he later came out and said he doesn't even like fantasy to begin with. Remember after Jenkins left , Marvel recruited him and he took the opportunity but it was never a passion job and Taylor isn't much of a writer, he's a great TV director when the story is already laid out.
I think he was just in over his head with TDW.
BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 6/15/2020, 10:49 AM
@DarkDetective - I agree with a lot of that. The more Thor I read, the more frustrated I become that the film franchise has failed to tap into the source material's vast potential. Honestly, I don't blame any of that on the first film. It was a successful enough introduction that gave us a sense of that world and its characters while creating a bridge that made it work within the world of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. It's the sequels that failed to expand on the mythology. We see a few more realms in The Dark World, but never get to know much about them, their people, or even Thor's established supporting cast.

It's frustrating to see Ragnarok credited as fixing Thor. Personally I don't think it's a great movie, but that's a discussion for another time. The bigger frustration is that it doesn't even really try to be a Thor movie. We get some light backstory elements, but for most of the movie, it's Taika's spin on a Flash Gordon/Guardians of the Galaxy watered down Planet Hulk. Rather than investing in Thor's supporting cast, we barely see Heimdall, Loki does the same things he's always done, Sif isn't even mentioned, and The Warriors Three are killed off.

I do think stronger Game of Thrones elements could have been great. Obviously, there would be tonal adjustments and the conflict couldn't be quite as complex in a film series compared to television, but a lot of what people love about GoT and LotR could work within the Thor franchise.

As for Alan Taylor, idk. He seemed like he'd bring that GoT vibe to Thor but he lacked a passion/vision for the material and it just doesn't seem like he's a great film director after Dark World and Terminator Genisys.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 6/15/2020, 7:41 AM
God, I wish he had. I have issues with the 1st Thor, but it's a masterpiece compared to Dark World.
OmegaDaGrodd
OmegaDaGrodd - 6/15/2020, 7:49 AM
I totally get Branaugh not coming back, and I don't think Taylor did a 'bad' job with what he was given, it's just that THE DARK WORLD feels like a movie that knows it's a filler episode, and therefore rarely does anything that stands out beyond the confines of it's own already fairly unambitious narrative. Would Branaugh have necessarily changed that? Hard to say, but I don't see him getting pushed around the way Taylor sounds like he was (which may have been necessary to save the movie by that point). It seems to me the issues with TDW stem from the script not being all that at the start of filming AND the success of AVENGERS leading to them adding in certain things in a response to that, and I think continuity would've helped things at the script level.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 6/15/2020, 7:55 AM
Can't wait to see him in TENET!
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