'Thor' Director Reportedly Not Returning Following Backlash - Inside the Magic

Thor 5 could have a new director.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been built on its ability to create blockbuster after blockbuster, and one of the most valuable franchises within the MCU has been based on the hero Thor, who is portrayed by Chris Hemsworth.

The franchise has four total films with the latest– Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)– being released in July of this year.

The film featured the return of Chris Hemsworth (Thor), as well as a host of talent we’ve seen from previous installments, including Female Thor incarnation Natalie Portman (Jane Foster/Mighty Thor), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif), Taika Waititi (Korg), and Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster).

Despite all the talent and the massive budget of reportedly $250 million, many critics said they felt as if the “film fell flat.” The Rotten Tomatoes critic meter gave it just a 65% approval rating, making it the lowest-rated Marvel movie in history. However, it should be noted that the film surpassed the $700 million mark at the box office and had a slightly higher fan rating with a 77% approval rating.

S0, it’s clear to see that here has been a mixed bag of reactions to the film by fans, including plenty of backlash.

Now, several outlets are reporting that Taika Waititi will not return for the next installment of the franchise.

A report from Giant Freakin Robot indicates that Waititi feels he can’t use the same style of humor that he has grown accustomed to in the franchise without it going stale with the audience.

Judging by the largely lukewarm reception of Thor: Love and Thunder (which largely negatively compared it to Ragnarok), Taika Waititi feels he cannot pull out the same bag of tricks for Thor 5.

At this time, neither Waititi nor Disney have confirmed these rumors to be true and there have actually been reports that a fifth installment in the franchise is altogether “increasingly unlikely” following the reception that Love and Thunder just received.

Do you think Taika Waititi should return for another Thor sequel? Let us know in the comments!