Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi says the film is a way of dealing with the "midlife crisis" brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Waititi says he hopes to reinvigorate the Thor franchise, and himself, by exploring new directions with the character. "It's sort of like a midlife crisis film, really," the director reveals. "That's the question we ask everyone: Are we doing the right thing, and are we doing all we can in the world? I think right now, while the world is still healing from this pandemic, it's a good question to ask. It's like, well, are we doing enough to look after each other and to look after ourselves?"
Love and Thunder’s teaser trailer provided fans with some insight into Thor’s looming emotional journey. After the Asgardian hero was left reeling from the events of Avengers: Endgame, Waititi suggests that he's trying to show a more sensitive side to Chris Hemsworth's god of thunder. Natalie Portman's Jane Foster will be rejoining the franchise on her own journey of self-discovery as the director explains that the themes of healing from earth-shattering events will be explored through several characters at once.
"Ragnarok felt a bit like a party," Waititi says. "It was quite festive. This one is still fun, and it's got moments of being over the top, but thematically, it's about something a bit deeper than the last film. It's not a serious film, and it's not a drama, but we do deal with ideas that I think a lot of humans deal with — universal themes about love and loss and our place in the world. Everyone sort of asks this question in the film: What is your purpose?"
Waititi is not only serving as Love and Thunder's director but also contributing as a writer on the film alongside Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The revered filmmaker previously stated that his main goal is to deliver a sequel that's just as big, bold, and funny as his MCU debut Thor: Ragnarok. "I guess the biggest difference would be that it was my first time playing in the Marvel sand pit on Ragnarok," he reveals. "This one, I felt like I've got a little more experience."
Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8.
Source: Entertainment Weekly