Taika Waititi has seen enormous success with his interpretation of Thor, which began with the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok. The movie was met with positive reception from critics and audiences and was a smash at the box office, raking in $853 million worldwide. This weekend, Waititi's second crack at the God of Thunder reached astronomical numbers during its opening weekend, with Thor: Love and Thunder reaching $302 million globally.
Given the immense amount of money being made by the Thor franchise, it's no surprise that Waititi would want to return to direct a possible Thor 5. However, in an interview with Insider, the director reveals that he would like to do things a little differently if he were to come back. Towards the end of Love and Thunder, the credits mention, "Thor will be back," which surprised Waititi.
"Well, guess what? That was a surprise to me, too. I'm not joking. I saw it in the theater and I was like, 'Oh, [expletive]. Really?' Even Chris was like, 'What?' But, of course he'll be back. He's the best character. I mean, I may be a little biased, but he's the most fun to watch. Now, I don't know what would be next. I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it. But it would need to be something surprising and unexpected for me to want to do it. Like what would be the new take? The battles and all the fighting is fine, but I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story. Like making just a $5 million movie with no fighting at all, just Thor on a road trip. Like 'Nebraska.'"
A $5 million budget would undoubtedly be a massive change for Thor and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. The lowest budget for an MCU movie is the 2015 film, Ant-Man, with a budget of $130 million. It's highly doubtful that Disney and Kevin Feige would go for Taika's Thor 5 idea; however, we can wait to see if the fifth installment will be Thor on a road trip with Korg.
The Love and Thunder Post-Credit Scenes May Hint to the Future Direction of Thor
SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder Ahead
During Thor: Love and Thunder, MCU fans get their first look at Zeus (Russell Crowe), the most praised and one of the most powerful gods in all of Marvel. He resides in Omnipotence City, a hidden and majestic land where the gods host their wildest parties. It's here where Thor fails to convince Zeus about the impending threat from Gorr, The God Butcher.
Zeus attempts to imprison Thor and the rest of his crew, forcing the God of Thunder to break out of the city, striking Zeus with his own lightning bolt in the process. At this point, the god is presumed dead. However, during one of Marvel's famous post-credit scenes, we see the aftermath of Thor's trip to Omnipotence City. In fact, Zeus lives through the conflict and seeks revenge against Thor and his allies. Initially, he speaks to someone off-screen who he believes will give him the best chance to defeat the God of Thunder before the camera pans to his son, Hercules, played by Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso). Hercules promises to avenge his father, which is likely the direction Thor 5 will head.
Whether Taika Waititi will be around to direct the eventual, unprecedented, fifth Thor film is unknown. However, it will more than likely be a big-budget, action-packed ride.