Filmmaker Taika Waititi rose to prominence with his independent films, before tasting commercial success during his stint with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Waititi is widely credited with revitalizing the Thor franchise, led by Chris Hemsworth when he helmed the third installment. However, Waititi’s motivation for making the movie might surprise some fans.
During an interview, Waititi opened up about his work on 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, which remains the director’s most popular movie to date. However, Waititi admitted that his motivation for making the movie had nothing to do with his love for the titular character or the superhero franchise. Instead, the director had a more personal motivation, and here is what he had to say about making the movie.
Taika Waititi Admitted to Making Thor: Ragnarok Only For the Money
Taika Waititi is known for his black comedy film Jojo Rabbit, which won the filmmaker his first Academy Award. Despite its undeniable success, the film was relatively less commercially successful compared to Thor: Ragnarok, which he helmed for Marvel Studios.
During an interview with Deadline, Waititi opened up about his work on the movie, which ended up grossing $865 million across the globe. However, Waititi admitted that more than creative satisfaction, he was motivated by the massive paycheck he was offered for directing the movie. He jokingly said:
Money, straight up.
At the same time, Waititi admitted that while he was inexperienced with the superhero genre, he mostly stuck to what he knew while making Thor: Ragnarok. In an appearance on the SmartLess podcast, Waititi delved further into his motivation behind making the superhero movie.
The director explained that his second child was born around the same time he decided to work with Marvel. As a result, despite having no interest in superhero movies, he accepted the gig because of the money. Ultimately, Waititi was mainly motivated by his desire to make enough money to look after his kids, which prompted him to direct the movie.
Taika Waititi Confirmed He Will Not Be Returning For Thor 5
After Thor: Ragnarok became a major hit for the studio, Marvel signed Waititi to direct the fourth installment in the Chris Hemsworth-led franchise. The fourth film titled Thor: Love and Thunder, was released on July 8, 2022, and emerged as a critical and commercial failure.
The film grossed $760.9 million at the box office, which was lower than its predecessor. Moreover, the film failed to find the right balance between action and comedy, resulting in fans disliking the movie. As a result, Waititi admitted in an interview with Business Insider that he won’t return for a potential fifth movie.
I know that I won’t be involved… I’m going to concentrate on these other films that I’ve signed on for.
Waititi made the above statement in November 2023 when he was asked about the rumors of a fifth movie being in early development at Marvel Studios.
The director explained that he wished to work on other projects, including his highly anticipated Star Wars movie and the sports comedy-drama Next Goal Wins. The latter was a critical and commercial failure while the former is stuck in development hell. As a result, it remains to be seen if Waititi returns to the MCU sometime in the future.
The Thor movies are streaming on Disney+.
