Thor: Ragnarok Director Taika Waititi Wants to Make a Black Widow Comedy

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Thor: Ragnarok's Taika Waititi Wants to Make a Black Widow Film -- As a Comedy

By Jon Arvedon

Published Oct 27, 2017

Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi wants to make a sequel, but he'd also like to take a stab at a Black Widow comedy film.

Much to the chagrin of fans, Marvel Studios has yet to pull the trigger on a solo movie starring Scarlett Johansson’s super-spy Natasha Romanoff. However, in addition to his desire to make a sequel to Thor: Ragnarok, director Taika Waititi has revealed his interest in a Black Widow film -- although not as a traditional espionage thriller. He envisions the project as a comedy.

"In all honesty, I reckon I could probably bring something pretty unique to any of the franchises," Waititi told io9.com. "So I’d love to see Black Widow. [I’d like to see] Black Widow as something crazy and a bit funnier than we expect it to be. Because we know her story and it’s very sullen and very dark and her history is very dark. But! What’s the funny version of that? What’s the more entertaining version of that?"

"I really go for the underdog," he continued. "[And] I think there’s a way in with any of the characters. You just have to find it and find what honors what’s already there with the source material but also brings it into a more entertaining form for the audience."

Waititi is hardly the only one who wants to see Black Widow headline a standalone film. A poll conducted last year by Fandango revealed that between Black Widow, The Vision, Falcon, Hawkeye, War Machine and Scarlet Witch, a whopping 48 percent of respondents were in favor of Johansson’s character receiving her own film.

In addition, plenty of key players in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are in Johansson’s corner when it comes to a Black Widow movie. Chris Evans said in April that he believed a Black Widow movie would "clean up," and Anthony Mackie made it clear he’d love to see — and possibly cameo in — such a film. Meanwhile, director Joss Whedon has already expressed his desire to direct it, should Marvel Studios approach him.

Although a Black Widow film isn’t in the works, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has gone on the record as saying that, when it comes to new standalone movies, “the one creatively and emotionally that we are most committing to doing is Black Widow.” If and when that happens is anyone’s guess.

Johansson is set to reprise her role as Black Widow in the Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War, which also stars Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Tom Holland and Anthony Mackie. The film opens May 4, 2018.