Taika Waititi fires back at Thor: Love and Thunder criticism telling fans to go read the comic books if they want the source material.
Via the Marvel’s Thor 4: Love and Thunder Movie Special Book, Waititi says it was “very difficult” to find the right tone of the movie.
“It’s an ongoing battle because I want my films to be entertaining and I want a lot of humor in them, to poke fun not only at the idea of the Space Viking, but also to poke fun at humans. How we bumble our way through life on this planet,” said Waititi.
Waititi added, “The comic run is very serious, and Jane’s story is especially tense. And so to try to find humor around that stuff, as well as making it an emotional story, was always going to be difficult. And we struggled with that. We wrestled with it throughout the edit, right up until we finished the film.”
It probably should be said Waititi did a better job of balancing the humor and seriousness with Thor: Ragnarok, as Love and Thunder is simply too goofy (something Chris Hemsworth agrees with, see below), but the director says if you want that to go read the comics.
“We did funny scenes about cancer, we did way more tragic scenes about having cancer. Some audiences really loved the humor part of it. Some audiences really wanted it to be just like the comics. But, you know, I always say, if you want it to be exactly like the comics read the comic. You’ve got to change things here and there to make it a film.”
Related: Producers of Cowboy Bebop learn their lesson about source material with One Piece success.
What did Chris Hemsworth say about Thor: Love and Thunder?
Back in June, Chris Hemsworth opened up about the silliness in an interview with GQ.
“I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly,” Hemsworth said. “It’s always hard being in the center of it and having any real perspective…I love the process, it’s always a ride. But you just don’t know how people are going to respond.”
“Hemsworth added, “We thought this one had too much humor, the action was cool but the VFX weren’t as good. I cringe and laugh equally at it.”
Following the movie’s release, Hemsworth also said back in November of last year that he is done working with “mad genius” directors which suggests Taika Waititi and George Miller of Furiousa.
“I’m just at the point of my life where I’m meeting with different directors and [people say], ‘Oh yeah, look, he’s a mad genius. He’s mad, but he’s a genius and he’ll make great films.’ I’m like, ‘Is that who I want to spend my days with?’ Four months, five months of shooting, and then you’ve got press and possible reshoots and so on,” Hemsworth told Vanity Fair.
Hemsworth even went so far as to say he wouldn’t mind seeing his time as Thor in the MCU come to an end.
“Yeah, for sure. I feel like we’d probably have to close the book if I ever did it again, you know what I mean?” said Hemsworth. “I feel like it probably warrants that. I feel like it’d probably be the finale, but that’s not based on anything anyone’s told me or any sort of plans. You have this birth of a hero, the journey of a hero, then the death of a hero, and I don’t know—am I at that stage? Who knows?”
Recently did see rumors about a Thor 5 said to be in development, but the rumor has been shot down. It’s also guessed the Taika Waiiti Star Wars movie has been canceled due to the blunder of Thor: Love and Thunder.
