Taika Waititi To Direct Thor 4; Akira Put On Hold

The hugely talented New Zealander is returning to tackle the Thor: Ragnarok follow-up.

by Andrew Pollard
Thor Ragnarok Taika Waititi
Marvel Studios

Given how well received Thor: Ragnarok was, the news that Taiki Waititi will be returning to helm Thor 4 is sure to put a smile on the face of many a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

After impressing many with the likes of Eagle vs. Shark, Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Waititi took his stock to a whole new level of stardom by directing the all-kinds-of-fun Thor: Ragnarok. And now, the New Zealand native will be back to tackle the latest adventure for Chris Hemsworth’s Thunder God.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, with the outlet also adding that another Waititi project – Warner Brothers’ live-action Akira offering – has been pushed back so that the director can focus on the Ragnarok follow-up.

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Despite being booked in for a May 21st, 2021 release, Akira has ran into yet more problems. Remember, this is a project that has been in various stages of development for a decade or so by now. Issues with the screenplay have caused Warners to push back production on Akira, and the call was made that Akira and Thor 4’s start dates were too close for comfort for The WB.

Warner Bros. is still hopeful that Waititi will direct Akira once Thor 4 is in his rear-view mirror, but first and foremost the talented Taika has the small matter of Nazi-driven satire Jojo Rabbit on the way this October. As for Hemsworth's God of Thunder, he was last seen heading off into space with the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of Avengers: Endgame - with it a strong possibility that Thor will be a part of 2021's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.