Taika Waititi Is Keeping Everyone On Their Toes About Thor: Love And Thunder

Taika Waititi went from offbeat indie director to bonafide star when Marvel Studios brought him on to direct 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok," the third solo Thor movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film played a pivotal role in Phase Three of the MCU by directly setting up events in "Avengers: Infinity War" and reimagining Thor's (Christ Hemsworth) character, making an action-comedy that struck a sillier tone than the dramatic interpretation of the character in his first two solo films. Hemsworth had clamored for the third movie to take notes from 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy" in the lead-up to production on "Thor: Ragnarok," and he got what he wanted in Waititi (via Cinema Blend).

With Waititi now an Academy Award-winning artist for "Jojo Rabbit" and the blank slate given to Thor at the end of "Avengers Endgame," audiences are hotly anticipating the next chapter in Thor's story — "Thor: Love and Thunder." Waiti returns as director and co-wrote the script with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson; he told Empire Magazine that the new movie is "the craziest film I've ever done." With Natalie Portman expected to return to the franchise and somehow gain Thor's powers, Christian Bale taking on a villain role as Gorr the God Butcher, and multiple "Guardians of the Galaxy" characters expected to appear, it's natural that nearly everyone wants Waititi to reveal something. If the director's most recent interviews tell fans anything, though, it's that details about "Thor: Love and Thunder" are still under lock and key.

Taika Waititi recently joked to Variety at the Independent Spirit Awards that he has nothing left to say about "Thor: Love and Thunder," which is scheduled to release on July 8, 2022.

"I've told and said everything [about the movie] for the last two years," Waititi said, before claiming that post-production on the film still is not complete. The director had previously told The Sydney Morning Herald that he expected to complete the post-production by February.

"It comes out in July, so probably like, end of June," Waititi joked about when the new movie will be completed (via Twitter). "Probably like a day before the premiere? That's how we do it."

Though Waititi was clearly giving light-hearted answers, it is not surprising if "Thor: Love and Thunder" actually is not finished yet. Blockbuster films are often tweaked by the studio and creative team until the last minute. A notable example is the last MCU's most recent theatrical release; Collider editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub reported that final visual effect shots had not been finalized for "Spider-Man: No Way Home," as late as Dec. 3, 2021, just 14 days before the film hit theaters (via Twitter).

Given that Marvel Studios has four whole months between now and when the next Thor movie reaches audiences, there could be plenty of post-production work left. Waititi's quip about the new film being finalized a day before it premieres may be less of a joke than some realize.