After rumours of Kenneth Branagh returning to the franchise proved false, Marvel began to reach out to many potential directors to helm THOR: RAGNAROK, and now The Wrap is reporting that Taika Waititi, co-director of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, is in negotiations to take on the job.
According to The Wrap, Waititi beat out Ruben Fleischer (ZOMBIELAND) for the gig, with THR adding that Rob Letterman (GOOSEBUMPS) and Rawson Marshall Thurber (DODGEBALL) were also in the running. Taika Waititi may not be the most obvious choice for a big Marvel film, but the studio has definitely been moving towards hiring indie talent over more established directors these last few years. Taika Waititi's most recent film, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, was a vampire mockumentary which he co-wrote and co-directed with Jemaine Clement, as well as starring in the film as Viago.
THOR: RAGNAROK will see Chris Hemsworth returning, along with Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif), for a cosmic Thor adventure which will have major implications on the MCU and set the stage for AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. THOR: RAGNAROK will open on November 3, 2017.