Tag: Harokin

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Thor 5’: Taika Waititi Reiterates He’s Not Returning But Says Chris Hemsworth Is “In Talks” With Marvel For Next Installment

After the success and audience reaction to “Thor: Ragnarok,” it felt like a no-brainer for Marvel Studios to bring back writer/director Taika Waititi to tackle a follow-up with “Thor: Love & Thunder.” However, with that sequel in the rearview mirror, it does seem like people weren’t entirely thrilled with that installment, and has landed alongside “Thor: The Dark World” as one of the lesser entries in the franchise. What exactly went wrong isn’t terribly clear. Still, it sounds like whatever comes next in the “Thor” universe won’t have Waititi behind the camera as the filmmaker has decidedly moved on and is now reiterating previous public statements made to Business Insider along with giving fans some hope that a fifth movie is potentially in early development.

While they don’t have a direct quote in the piece, Inverse says while speaking with the director that Waititi has told them he has “heard” that Marvel and Chris Hemsworth are talking about what to do next with the franchise. The main takeaway is that Waititi is moving on for the time being, which isn’t that crazy to imagine given the poor reception of “Thor: Love & Thunder” and how busy the filmmaker has become with a growing list of projects in his queue.

Waititi confirmed he’s not currently working on “Thor 5,” which would be a hypothetical follow-up to his divisive “Thor: Love & Thunder.” Waititi said that while he heard star Chris Hemsworth and Marvel are in talks about making a fifth Thor movie, Waititi “needed a break from that.” “It’s a very draining process working on these films for two and a half years and nonstop,” Waititi tells Inverse.

Some of the other projects on Taika’s plate include a new live-action “Flash Gordon” remake at 20th Century Studios (had been animated previously), a mystery “Star Wars” film at Lucasfilm (we’ll be shocked if that actually comes together), a feature film adaptation of French sci-fi graphic novel “The Incal” from Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius, and adds in the interview the main thing he’ll be focusing on is “Klara & The Sun.” Oddly enough, while we had assumed that Waititi had exited the long-gestating “Akira” movie (development goes back to the 2000s) at Warner Bros., the director gives the impression he is still actively involved alongside screenwriter Charles Yu and trying his best to get an authentic version based on the original manga.

“Obviously, I think people who loved the film, I want to make sure that they’ve also read the books because there’s a lot more in the books than there are in the film,” Waititi says. “And some people are very protective over the film, which is not quite the same as the books. So we’re drawing a lot from the books.”

To Taika’s credit, it’s been extremely difficult to get the “Thor” movies right and he was able to spin magic with “Thor: Ragnarok.”

Concept artwork for Thor Ragnarok: Valhalla Closeup by Emmanuel Shiu (cdna.artstation.com) submitted by FaeryKnig… | Thor ragnarok concept art, Concept art, Artwork
Unused concept artwork of Valhalla from artist Emmanuel Shiu and Marvel Studios.

When it comes to a fifth “Thor” installment there are plenty of things that Marvel could use if they were finally willing to make an epic-level movie that harkens back to the Norse mythology that the studio has been mostly avoiding over the last four films. “Thor 5” could quickly become Marvel’s version of “Lord of The Rings: Return of The King” considering the world of Tolkien is directly inspired by the Norse myths.

Those tidbits include James Bond actor Daniel Craig nearly playing Thor’s dead brother Balder The Brave in “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness” (cameo was cut) who had been a casualty of Loki’s Asgard pranks in the original myth and was briefly referenced in “Loki” Season 2. Balder’s comic book love interest Karnilla The Norn Queen, might attempt to resurrect her lost love and make dangerous alliances to make that happen. The Light Elves were teased in “She-Hulk” with the impish trickster Runa and their Kingdom within the realm of Alfheim, a fresh location they could easily use for new battle sequences. The realm of Valhalla was established in “Thor: Love & Thunder” which happens to be the home of brave dead/fallen heroes (That could include Balder, Angela, and Thor’s uncle Cul Borson) known as The Einherjar and are led by former foe, Harokin. With Ragnarok over and Odin long dead, their purpose hasn’t been fulfilled, and could become restless waiting for some big battle that is never coming. The Rock Trolls, led by iconic Thor villain Ulik, almost appeared in the original film and would make for a neat surrogate for Orcs. Speaking of Cul Borson, he could become the MCU version of The Midgard Serpent, aka, Jörmungandr, who ultimately kills Thor. Having Thor sacrifice himself to save the Light Elves or the living world entirely could be another honorable way for another original Avenger to bow out.

With that all said, Marvel has yet to announce a screenwriter or new director and we shouldn’t expect any immediate movement outside of this attempt to secure Hemsworth. Hopefully, the next time Kevin Feige is ready to announce new projects “Thor 5” will be among them and we could get early vague plot details.

SOURCE: INVERSE

Posted on in Features, Film News, News

‘Thor 5’: Taika Waititi Teases A More Formidable Villain Than Hela, Here Are Some Contenders

While it looks like we won’t be getting any massive lineup updates about the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon there are some early seeds being planted for a hypothetical “Thor 5” and what could interestingly be a sign we might be heading back to more Thor-focused comic book mythology being the inspiration for it. Some new quotes from an upcoming “Thor: Love & Thunder” tie-in book (via ScreenRant) reveal writer/director Taika Waititi’s feelings on where things should be heading for the God of Thunder in a fifth potential film.

“What is left to do to him? It’s got to be something that feels like it’s carrying on with the evolution of the character, but still in a very fun way and still giving him things to come up against that feel like they’re building on the obstacles that he has to overcome. I don’t think we can have a villain that’s weaker than Hela. I feel like we need to step up from there and add a villain that’s somehow more formidable”

BHOC: MARVEL SPECTACULAR #18 – The Tom Brevoort Experience

It’s a project that hasn’t been made official by Marvel Studios but is likely to happen given Chris Hemsworth’s willingness to return to the role and the last film establishing Valhalla as another MCU realm where both Jane Foster and Heimdall now reside after their on-screen deaths. It’s the location of the mythical great hall of fallen heroes where the Valkyries take the dead warriors from the battlefield to prepare for victory at Ragnarok.

Valhalla opens the door for all sorts of Norse characters to potentially make their MCU debuts such as Balder The Brave, Karnilla The Norn Queen, Amora The Enchantress, Angela, Sigurd, and even an even more obscure villain like Harokin who is one of The Einherjar, the fallen undead heroes of Asgard/Valhalla that are expected to be called upon by Odin to fight the Jotun as part of his army.

Another option could be Thor’s uncle Cul Borson, aka The Serpent, who more or less could end up becoming the movie version of the Midgard Serpent. In Norse mythology, the Midgard Serpent, aka, Jörmungandr (recently seen in the “God of War” games and tied to Marvel’s Multiverse villain The Black Winter) is a massive snake-like creature and child of Loki that is destined to kill Thor in the events of Ragnarok with its deadly venom. Jörmungandr does kill Thor in Norse legends and might be exactly the kind of “formidable villain” Waititi is referring to in these teasing statements.

We’ve actually already experienced one of these deadly end-of-the-world beasts in the past. “Thor: Ragnarok” featured Fenris Wolf (a version of Fenrir), a giant wolf that kills Odin during the final battle of Ragnarok. But this version was the undead companion of Hela and was dispatched by Hulk as Odin had died earlier in the film. Hulk flung Fenris off the edge of Asgard into the void of space.

Of course, there are even more outlandish contenders like Ulik The Rock Troll, the long-rumored Mephisto (Marvel’s cosmic take on the Satan that is a longtime foe of Thor), and in a hilarious episode of “She-Hulk,” it’s been established Asgard’s allies, the Light Elves, are walking around Midgard.

While some may be in the belief that Brett Goldstein’s Hercules and the Greek pantheon of gods should be antagonists, it feels sort of like small potatoes compared to what Waititi is talking about. Plus, circling back to the Norse elements would be super refreshing after Marvel goes out of their way to avoid tackling all the existing unused material this whole time (light elves, rock trolls, giants, Midgard serpent).

The filmmaker also reiterates the importance of focusing on Thor’s comic book mythology which hopefully means they may return to untapped Norse/comic elements they’ve been avoiding this entire time.

The director also revealed that there is one aspect that he thinks is more true to Thor than any other MCU character, and that is “the mythology that he originates from.” Waititi believes pitting Thor against “more and more outlandish and crazy beasts, monsters and aliens” as he continues in the MCU stays true to Thor in the comics and his mythological origin.

However, it’s worth mentioning that Waititi has given the impression in previous interviews he might be moving on from making future “Thor” installments himself. And it wouldn’t be that surprising given the negative reaction to “Love & Thunder” alongside the filmmaker’s increasingly large dance card that includes a remake of “Flash Gordon” at 20th Century Studios, “Klara & The Sun” based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel, an adaptation of Jodorowsky/Moebius’ sci-fi fantasy graphic novel “The Incal,” and finally a long-gestating “Star Wars” film at Lucasfilm.

I guess we’ll have to be patient about any future developments concerning “Thor 5.”

SOURCE: TITAN’S THOR: LOVE & THUNDER THE OFFICIAL MOVIE SPECIAL