Taika Waititi talks Thor: Ragnarok’s “Taika-esque” tone & confirms cameo

Although I quite like many of the elements which make up the THOR movies, mainly Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor and Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki, I wasn’t completely blown away by either THOR or THOR: THE DARK WORLD, however, I’ve got high hopes for Taika Waititi‘s THOR: RAGNAROK. The upcoming THOR sequel will find Thor imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer as he races against time in order to get back to Asgard to prevent Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first, he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk! That certainly sounds like the cosmic adventure I’ve wanted to see since the beginning.

While speaking with The A.V. Club, Waititi commented on how fortunate he feels to be able to play with Marvel’s large stable of characters. “Sometimes I would stop and think,” said Waititi. “I’m doing a movie that’s got Thor and Doctor Strange and The Incredible Hulk and Loki and every character is so strange and different.” He’s previously commented on the “Taika-esque” tone which he’ll be bringing to the world of Asgard (if you’ve seen his previous movies, you’ll know what I mean) and was asked what Taika element he wants the audience to walk away with.

I think the overall sense that I’m trying to give to the audience and what I want the audience to leave the cinema carrying with them is a sense of joy really.

As with his previous projects, Taika Waititi will also have a role in THOR: RAGNAROK, although he wouldn’t elaborate on what it is. “It’s not like a thing that I’ve ever planned,” he said. “But now I’m in all of my movies in a small role or a larger role… I’ll probably just keep doing that. It’s like a dumb thing I do now.” The director confirmed that Sam Neill will also be making a cameo, but said that he didn’t want to say too much about it as “it’s a really cool little thing that he’s doing.“

THOR: RAGNAROK is due to arrive on November 3, 2017.