Taika Waititi Will Not Return for "Thor 5"

New Zealand filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi has been serving in the directing chair for Marvel's "Thor" since 2017. 

However, Waititi is not planning to return for the fifth entry of the Norse myth-inspired franchise.

He has told Business Insider while promoting his latest movie “Next Goal Wins” that he won’t be involved in a fifth “Thor” movie, at least if it’s happening anytime in the next six years or so. 

The Oscar winner directed Chris Hemsworth in the beloved “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) and the hugely divisive “Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022). 

A fifth “Thor” movie is currently not on Marvel’s upcoming slate, although the character is still very much alive within the MCU and the door is presumably open for his return.

“I wouldn’t know if that’s accurate,” Waititi said when asked about the social media rumors claiming “Thor 5” is in development but not with him as director. “I know that I won’t be involved…I’m going to concentrate on these other films that I’ve signed on for.”

Waititi has a slew of non-Marvel projects that he’s currently developing including a “Star Wars” movie that is taking its time to get off the ground. “It’s still marinating,” he said. “I’ve been writing it.”

There’s also the big-screen adaptation of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s graphic novel “The Incal” that Waititi wants to make, as well as an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel “Klara and the Sun”. Waititi told the outlet the latter title will likely be his next movie. “Klara” centers on a robot programmed to prevent loneliness and heartbreak among teenagers.

“So that’s six, seven years gone,” Waititi said about his upcoming projects and how Marvel doesn’t factor into it right now. 

“I’d imagine another ‘Thor’ would be a lot sooner than that…But I love Marvel, I love working with them. I love Chris. I would never feel like they are cheating on me. We’re in an open relationship, and it’s like if they want to see other people, I’m happy for that. I’d still get back into bed with them one day," Waititi added. 

Back in July 2022 as “Love and Thunder” was opening, the director told Business Insider that he “would definitely do” another movie but only if Hemsworth returned. 

The actor told Entertainment Weekly over the summer that nothing is official regarding his Marvel return. He wants a potential “Thor 5” to be “unpredictable,” but he also doesn’t want to risk playing Thor for so long that Marvel fans start rolling their eyes.

“I’ve got to be careful how I word that because I have no idea what’s happening in the next phase,” Hemsworth said. “There’s always conversations…Before anything is official, people are throwing around ideas. But officially, I don’t know.”

“I don’t want to continue to do it until people are so exhausted that they roll their eyes when they see me come on the screen as that character,” Hemsworth added. 

“If an audience wants to see it, and if there’s something that we believe is exciting and fun, then great. I’ve loved being able to reinvent that character a few times. I don’t have the answer yet, but I would love to try and [figure out] how we can do that again and keep it a little unpredictable.”

“Thor: Love and Thunder” turned off some Marvel fans with its goofy humor. Hemsworth told GQ over the summer that the crew “had too much fun” making the movie and “it just became too silly.”

In the “‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ The Official Movie Special” book, Waititi teased what he would do with a potential fifth “Thor” movie.

“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,” Waititi said.

“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.”