Taika Waititi: Thor: Love and Thunder ‘Tops’ Ragnarok, ‘I Couldn’t Be Happier’

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Taika Waititi: Thor: Love and Thunder ‘Tops’ Ragnarok, ‘I Couldn’t Be Happier’

This past Thursday, the cast and crew of Thor: Love and Thunder gathered for the film’s big premiere on Hollywood Boulevard.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter minutes before the first screening of his latest Marvel Cinematic Universe endeavor, director and co-writer Taika Waititi displayed confidence that he had created something on the level of Thor: Ragnarok. In fact, he’s sure that his new film surpasses the 2017 critical smash.

Following Ragnarok, Waititi wasn’t sure he would be able to top the film with another Thor adventure, but those doubts are behind him. “This film is bigger and deals with the bigger themes, human themes, it’s emotional. I couldn’t be happier.”

A big part of Love and Thunder is the return of Natalie Portman to the role of Jane Foster, this time with a hammer in tow as The Mighty Thor. Portman famously departed the Thor franchise following the firing of Patty Jenkins as director of Thor: The Dark World. She made a huge splash at Comic-Con upon the announcement of Love and Thunder, confirming that she’d be stepping into the famous role of female thunder god from the more recent Thor comics.

Co-writer Jennifer Kaytin confirmed that bringing Portman back into the fold was essential to Love and Thunder from the beginning. “I know it was something that Taika and Kevin [Feige] and Brad [Winderbaum] and the whole team really wanted. To be able to be a part of the film that brings the Mighty Thor to screen is… I can’t even tell you how special it is. It makes me want to cry.”

Love and Thunder will hit cinemas across the country on July 8, but it won’t be the last time Marvel fans will see longstanding Thor Chris Hemsworth in the MCU. “I’ve done it for ten, eleven years now, and each time I think, yes, I’ll do it again if there’s something new to tell.”