After the release of the first two movies featuring everyone's favorite God of Asgard from Marvel Comics, Thor: Ragnarok is already being heralded as a "funnier" take on the source material by director Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows) than Marvel Studios' last offering in the form of Thor: The Dark World. Ragnarok will see the return of Chris Hemsworth in the lead role after taking a ceremonious leave of absence from the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and will be joined on an interstellar odyssey by Mark Ruffalo as a significantly smarter Incredible Hulk.
Following the fairly recent casting addition of Tessa Thompson (Creed), things are starting to come together for the forthcoming Phase 3 MCU film. However, before Waititi even begins production on Thor: Ragnarok, the critically acclaimed Kiwi filmmaker is reaching out for help from his MCU director brethren in the making of his first superhero adventure.
In a recent string of posts published on Waititi's official Twitter account, the director of Thor: Ragnarok took to asking fellow MCU directors James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) for help in the making of his first superhero movie. What followed was a humorous and pointed dialogue on the etiquette of proper Marvel movie making, including the required number of explosions, when to use Thanos, and where hyphens are required in movie titles. You can see the original series of tweets below:
@JamesGunn @MrPeytonReed Hey guys. When you're making one of these big movies, how many explosions are you supposed to put in? I have one.— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016
@JamesGunn @MrPeytonReed And it's not so much an explosion - more of a "boink" sound.— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016
@TaikaWaititi @JamesGunn Hmm. That's not gonna cut it, Taika. Check your contract. Marvel minimum is 42 onscreen explosions. Required!— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) May 12, 2016
12. Add 11 school buses full of kids exploding & you’ll be good. People love that in superhero movies. https://t.co/4NH6FJf4jt— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 12, 2016
@TaikaWaititi @JamesGunn And they're strict! They didn't even count my Pym Tech explosion because "technically it's an IMplosion."— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) May 12, 2016
Ahh got it, thanks! And do I have to put that purple dude in the floating chair in my movie? The magic glove guy. https://t.co/U8fFly4Ewg— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016
Yes, but that’s not Marvel, that’s a new federal law. https://t.co/0Wk2RJreGq— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 12, 2016
@scottderrickson Hey man, don't tell anyone at Marvel but I'm freaking out. Strictly confidential!— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016
Someone tell Jon Watts to join twitter. I need to know if he wants to swap titles. "Spiderman Ragnarok" and "Thor Homecoming" would rule.— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) May 12, 2016
Judging strictly from the tone and fluidity of the above conversation, Waititi sure seems to understand how to go about imbuing more humor into the proceedings of Thor: Ragnarok, and with any luck he should be able to manage a film that will be a little more fun than Thor: The Dark World. What's more, Gunn and Reed's witty repartee prove that the all three MCU directors aren't letting their prestigious positions within the larger comic book franchise get to their heads, lending more good will to the making of their own forthcoming sequels.
It remains to be seen how capably independent New Zealand director Waititi ultimately fares in the making of Thor: Ragnorak, but for now everything appears to be coming together with a little help from his MCU friends. Hemsworth and Ruffalo will be back on the big screen as Thor and Hulk (come November 2017) in a superhero event that will undoubtedly contain the requisite number of explosions, allusions to Thanos, and hyphens.
NEXT: Tessa Thompson Playing Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok?
Captain America: Civil War is in theaters now. Doctor Strange opens November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel– March 8, 2019; Avengers: Infinity War Part 2– May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
Source: Taika Waititi