Chris Hemsworth reveals the comedy movies that inspired the tone of Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok. Hemsworth's tenure as Thor, the God of Thunder, had had its ups and downs ever since the character debuted in Kenneth Branagh's 2011 film, Thor. That movie established the character's traditional Shakespearean tone. And while that movie is positively regarded amongst general audiences, it's fair to believe that the film - and its sequel, Alan Taylor's Thor: The Dark World - bogged down the character. So, Hemsworth wanted a change.
Waititi's bold pitch for Thor 3 took Marvel Studios - and studio president Kevin Feige - by surprise, particularly his use of Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" and how that defined his vision for the Asgardian superhero. What's more, Waititi's unique comedic style resonated with Hemsworth, and the two pushed for more comedy in the movie. As it turns out, it worked. Ragnarok is currently the MCU's highest-rated movie according to Rotten Tomatoes. And now, Hemsworth has revealed what brought about the decision to bring include more humor in Ragnarok.
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Thor: Ragnarok hits U.S. theaters this weekend, and Hemsworth has been busy doing the talk show circuit to promote the new film and explain how it's different from the other Thor movies as well as the other Marvel movies. The actor told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he grew bored with Thor over the years and that his experience working on Saturday Night Live and Paul Feig's Ghostbusters convinced him to make Ragnarok more comedic.
"I did Saturday Night Live, I did Vacation, did Ghostbusters, and kind of was having fun improvising, and then thought, ‘God, we could do more of that in Thor.' And thankfully, the Marvel guys said, ‘Yeah, go for it’ - and we did. And I got to say, laughing for six months, shooting the movie, and mucking around with your mates, is the best way to go to work, if you can even call it that."
Ragnarok is certainly being branded a comedy movie, above all else, but that doesn't mean it's without its fair share of drama. After all, the God of Thunder suffers losing his trusty hammer, Mjolnir, quite early on, as depicted in the movie's trailers and promos. Of course, the comedic aspect is only part of the character's "rebirth" in Ragnarok, which is also bolstered by Thor's signature golden locks being cut off following his capture by Valkyrie - an essential part of the film's marketing strategy.
Thor: Ragnarok may successfully exhibit Hemsworth's comedic abilities, but only time will tell if the character's newfound sense of humor will carry over to other films, particularly Anthony and Joe Russo's Avengers: Infinity War.
More: Thor 3 Reveals a Major Truth About Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet
Source: The Tonight Show
