Chris Hemsworth Reportedly Wants EXTRACTION Director for Marvel's THOR 5
After the mixed reception to Thor: Love and Thunder, Chris Hemsworth seems to be steering the God of Thunder in a different direction for Thor 5, one with more grit and less goofiness, and according to a recent report, he’s got a specific director in mind.
Marvel insider @MyTimeToShineH posted on X: “A source reached out, turns out Secret Wars won’t be the end of his story. Thor 5 is in the works, no Taika this time, and Hemsworth’s pushing for Sam Hargrave (the Extraction guy) to take over.”
That seems like it mark a major pivot from the candy-colored chaos of Love and Thunder, and I’d be ok with that. It was previously reported that Taika Waititi was not involved with the film.
As for Hargrave, he made a name for himself as the director of Netflix’s Extraction films and was a longtime stunt coordinator for the Russo Brothers on several Marvel projects.
The man knows action, and those Extraction films are pretty badass. If there’s anyone who could return Thor to his more hard-hitting roots, Hargrave is a strong choice.
Hemsworth has been candid about his feelings toward Love and Thunder. Despite its strong box office performance, with $760.9 million globally, it left a lot of fans feeling cold. The tone, heavily comedic and often cartoonish, wasn’t what everyone was hoping for after the emotional highs of Infinity War and Endgame.
Hemsworth even acknowledged the criticism saying: “I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself.” He went on to say: “I didn’t stick the landing."
Hemsworth previously opened up about the reception of the movie, saying that even his children's friends criticized the movie to his face.
He said: "It's a bunch of eight-year-olds critiquing my film. We thought this one had too much humor, the action was cool but the VFX weren't as good.' I cringe and laugh equally at it.”
He explained: “I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly. It's always hard being in the center of it and having any real perspective… I love the process, it's always a ride. But you just don't know how people are going to respond."
He also addressed those who criticized the movie, saying: “Some audiences really wanted it to be just like the comics. But, you know, I always say, if you want it to be exactly like the comics read the comic. You've got to change things here and there to make it a film."
While speaking at San Diego Comic-Con last July about Thor 5, Hemsworth said: “I have loved every second of the Marvel experience, and I'm always down to do more, but we're all sort of waiting to hear what's happening.”
In another interview, he doubled down: “Hey, mate, I have loved every second working in the Marvel Universe and if there's more to come then I'm excited about it. Nothing official yet. I'm sort of waiting for the phone call and, and waiting for the news to see, let's see what happens. But, you know, I love it.”
As of now, Hemsworth is set to return in Avengers: Doomsday, and likely Secret Wars too, but if Thor 5 really is happening, and without Waititi, it signals Marvel might be looking to give the character a tonal reset, which is needs.
With Hargrave at the helm, we might finally get to see what a full-on action-thriller Thor movie looks like.