When Kenneth Branagh was pitching himself to direct the first “Thor” movie in 2008, he envisioned a story with gravitas. After spending years forging a reputation as a skilled adaptor of William Shakespeare’s works, writing, directing, and starring in both 1989’s “Henry V” and 1996’s “Hamlet,” he saw plenty of Shakespearean qualities in the story of the God of Thunder: generations-old mythology, a hero who must learn to be a leader, and plenty of family turmoil.
Branagh’s resulting adaptation, 2011’s “Thor,” would go on to gross $449 million at the worldwide box office and set the stage for Marvel’s dominance of the decade to come. But the “Thor” movie franchise would truly hit its stride when director Taika Waititi took the reins with 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok.” The film, which represented a shift to a more humorous tone, became the biggest earner in the franchise, taking in over $855 million at the worldwide box office.
Branagh, who spoke to Business Insider to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the release of “Thor,” has seen Waititi’s sequels — which also include 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” — and called them “amazing films.” Still, he wonders what could have been if he hadn’t declined to continue on with the franchise.
“Part of me would love to finish my relationship with that character,” Branagh said, revealing that Marvel wanted him to return for a “Thor” sequel, but after three years of working on “Thor,” he said he “needed a break.” 2013’s “Thor: The Dark World,” was ultimately directed by Alan Taylor.
Branagh told BI that if he took on a “Thor” sequel, it wouldn’t have been very comedic.
“I’d always wanted to do more and indeed had a couple of ideas, more in the territory of James Mangold’s brilliant ‘Logan,’” Branagh said, referring to the hit R-rated 2017 release that delivered a more mature storyline for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. “I would love to see Chris Hemsworth and the others have their own individual final story that takes Thor into a glorious twilight.”
While Thor’s story turned more comedic in Waititi’s sequels, the tide seems to be shifting in what audiences want from the character.
After the release of the fourth movie in the franchise, 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” failed to best “Ragnarok” at the box office and received middling reviews from critics, Hemsworth admitted that the movie was “too silly.” Even Waititi acknowledged the desire to switch it up, telling Business Insider right after the movie opened that if he were to do a fifth movie, he would want a “new take.”
“I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story,” he said. “Like making just a $5 million movie with no fighting at all, just Thor on a road trip.” (Months later, Waititi told BI he would not be involved in a fifth “Thor” movie.)
Hemsworth revealed in February that after we see Thor in “Avengers: Doomsday” at the end of this year, Marvel has plans for another Thor movie.
“I was talking to Kevin [Feige] about it, and he said it’s cool because the audience now expects dramatic turns with the character,” Hemsworth said on the “SmartLess” podcast of his discussions with the Marvel Studios head about the future of Thor.
Branagh, who also appears in the upcoming “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” said he’s excited to see where Thor’s story goes.
“I have such a high regard for what Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston and all of them involved have done,” he said. “I think it would be something very beautiful to take those characters into their own particular sunset.”
So, how about coming back to direct the latest chapter in the “Thor” saga?
“That’s a whole other question,” Branagh said. “They are so far deep into the future of the Marvel Universe that I’m sure whatever plans they have for it are already kind of set.”
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