Taika Waititi Ignored The Rest Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe Making ‘Thor: Ragnarok’

Thor: Ragnarok is one of the most hotly anticipated films of 2017. While part of this excitement is undoubtedly because it is yet another installment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are quite a few individuals that can’t wait to see what indie director Taika Waititi can do with such a huge budget and on a blockbuster scale.

During a recent Reddit Q&A session Waititi was bombarded with questions regarding his work on Thor: Ragnarok, and the New Zealander was very forthcoming and candid about the film and how it will fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But rather than admitting that he’s meticulously trying to get Thor: Ragnarok to fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Waititi confessed that he’s actually trying to ignore the other films so that he can make his own film.

During the session Waititi was asked, “Do you know a lot of stuff about the direction and future of the MCU that we don’t? Like, how much? And what are those things?” This then led Waititi to respond, “I honestly know NOTHING outside of what I’m doing. I’m trying to ignore the rest of the universe and just make my own awesome movie.” In another answer he added, “I made an effort to ignore the fact that there are other Thor films.”

.@TaikaWaititi had some very cool things to say about #ThorRagnarok: https://t.co/Oe4Mb06yjo pic.twitter.com/F2BAZBLzKZ

— Nerdist???????? (@nerdist) October 16, 2016

Waititi didn’t stop there though, because after another question regarding how unique Thor: Ragnarok will be to the likes of Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier, and Civil War, as well as the previous Thor films, he remarked, “The tone is very different. Think CRAZY.” When asked which actor he wanted in Ragnarok that he wasn’t able to attain, Waititi admitted, “I would have liked to get John C. Reilly’s character in the film but there was no real way to pull it off.”

Waititi also revealed that Guardians Of The Galaxy is his favorite film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but insisted that he hasn’t actually seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Regarding Thor: Ragnarok Waititi added that it will have a “Taika-esque tone” and that Marvel have been “very accepting” of his cinematic style and approach.

When quizzed about which character will steal Thor: Ragnarok and be its breakout star Waititi proclaimed that it will be Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk, while at the same time he repeatedly proclaimed his love for Cate Blanchett. Which is understandable, as she is a worldwide treasure after she won the Academy Award for both The Aviator and Blue Jasmine.

The announcement that Taika Waititi will be directing Thor: Ragnarok immediately made cinephiles from across the globe sit up and take notice. Thanks to his writing and directing Eagle vs Shark, Boy, and What We Do In The Shadows Waititi had been labelled as one of the most idiosyncratic and interesting comedic directors working in world cinema.

The latter comedy, which was as a mockumentary that revolved around a group of vampires that live together in Wellington and looked to feast on humans, was a breakout hit for Waititi. The powers that be over at Marvel Studios, including its head honcho Kevin Feige, were clearly quite enamored with What We Do In The Shadows as that convinced them to hire Waititi to direct Ragnarok. The recently released Hunt For The Wilderpeople, which Waititi once again wrote and directed, confirmed that this was a wise choice.

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ director dropped some major teasers for its fans: https://t.co/4rJVPTvG4c pic.twitter.com/Xrz0YPzUsB

— Complex (@ComplexMag) October 16, 2016

Waititi has already set about making quite a few changes to Thor with Ragnarok. Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster won’t be returning as the Nordic God’s love interest, with Tessa Thompson replacing her, while Waititi has also added Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neil, Karl Urban, and Mark Ruffalo to the Thor franchise, and he recently released a short film that teased Ragnarok’s new tone and revealed exactly where Thor was throughout Civil War. It is also hilarious.

We’ll get to see if Thor: Ragnarok can build on this promise when it’s finally released on November 3, 2017.

[Image via Marvel Studios]