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Google PlaySpoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder below.
Taika Waititi’s impact on the Thor franchise can’t be overstated. The story goes that Chris Hemsworth, slightly frustrated with his portrayal of the God of the Thunder, recruited the Kiwi writer/director to revamp the MCU’s overall direction on the character. The result, Thor: Ragnorak, breathed incredible new life into the character and made Waititi a household name in the process. The choice to bring him back for a sequel was a no-brainer. Turns out that was the right call, as the follow-up raked in a staggering $143 million at the box office over the weekend, which vaulted over the first weekend numbers of Rangorak.
In Thor: Love and Thunder, Waititi is once more pulling triple-duty, wherein he’s responsible for directing, co-writing, and co-starring just as he did last time. But perhaps the movie’s biggest surprise is that Waititi was able to convince Natalie Portman to return to the MCU as Jane Foster. Although, part of the plot of Love and Thunder involves Portman’s Jane Foster becoming a Thor of her own, as seen in the Jason Aaron-written and Russell Dauterman Mighty Thor comic book series. Portman’s return is reason enough to get excited about the film. Still, once you add Christian Bale to the proceedings as the villainous Gorr the God Butcher and bring back Tessa Thompon’s Valkyrie, it makes for quite the exciting project.
Prior to Love and Thunder’s release, Complex talked to Waititi about how he approaches directing these movies, if the real-life friendship between Thompson and Portman had any impact on the script, the process behind that shocking mid-credits stinger, and more.
