Taika Waititi admits he directed Thor: Ragnarok because he was ‘poor’ and had kids to feed

Director Taika Waititi has shared the relatable reason he joined the Marvel franchise despite admitting he was initially “not interested”.

Director Taika Waititi with Thor star Chris Hemsworth. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi recently confessed he had a simple reason for joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2017: he needed the job.

During a recent appearance on the SmartLess podcast with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, Waititi said he was previously not interested in directing a superhero movie before taking the job.

“I had no interest in doing one of those films,” Waititi said. “It wasn’t on my plan for my career as an auteur. But I was poor and I’d just had a second child, and I thought, ‘You know what, this would be a great opportunity to feed these children.’”

Thor: Ragnarok saw Chris Hemsworth return as the Norse god as he races to stop the end of the world. Waititi’s comedic take on the Marvel superhero made it a box office hit, guaranteeing his return for the 2022 entry Thor: Love and Thunder, which did not perform as well as its predecessor.

Director Taika Waititi with Thor star Chris Hemsworth. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Since Love and Thunder’s premiere earlier this year, Waititi has already confirmed that he will not be returning for the fifth Thor movie, which is rumoured to be in the works already.

“I wouldn’t know if that’s accurate,” he recently told Business Insider regarding the rumours about the series continuing after Love and Thunder.

“I know that I won’t be involved … I’m going to concentrate on these other films that I’ve signed on for.”

Waititi with wife Rita Ora at the LA premiere of his new comedy Next Goal Wins on November 14. Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

The comedy director already has a lot on his plate. He is now promoting his new sports comedy Next Goal Wins which recently premiered in cinemas, but he has a slate of projects that he is producing over the next few years.

“So that’s six, seven years gone,” he said. “I’d imagine another Thor would be a lot sooner than that. But I love Marvel, I love working with them. I love Chris.”

Waititi and Hemsworth on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder. Picture: Jasin Boland

He joked, “I would never feel like they are cheating on me. We’re in an open relationship, and it’s like, if they want to see other people, I’m happy for that. I’d still get back into bed with them one day.”

Hemsworth has similarly expressed that he would be open to reprising his role, though he wouldn’t want to stay in the role so long that viewers “roll their eyes when they see me come on the screen as that character.”

“I’ve loved being able to reinvent that character a few times,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I don’t have the answer yet, but I would love to try and [figure out] how we can do that again and keep it a little unpredictable.”

This article originally appeared in Decider and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Taika Waititi admits he directed Thor: Ragnarok because he was ‘poor’ and had kids to feed