It was pretty shocking news when it was announced that Patty Jenkins would no longer be directing Thor 2. Though she was signed on for almost two months, the report said the relationship between her and Marvel Studios suffered from "creative differences." The good news was that both parties were still interested in working together on another project and all seemed well. Now, however, it seems like that may have not been the whole story.
THR has received reports from inside sources that say Natalie Portman, who played love interest Jane Foster in the first film, is upset with Marvel because of their treatment of Jenkins and that the director didn't quit, but was fired. According to the story, Portman was a key proponent of the comic book studio hiring Jenkins for the movie and wanted to be part of the first Marvel movie helmed by a woman director. Sources close to the star say that Portman has considered taking a career hiatus to raise her son, who was born in June, but she is contractually obligated to appear in Thor 2. As a result, the studio has invited the Oscar winner into the conversation as they look for a new director.
The trade also has mixed reports as to why Jenkins was fired in the first place. Some sources say that Marvel was concerned that the filmmaker didn't have a clear enough vision for the project, but considering there isn't a finished script in place (they've begun looking for scribes to do a rewrite) that's somewhat doubtful. Others are saying that it was actually Marvel balking at the specificity of Jenkins' plan for the sequel. Said the unnamed source, "When they started to interview writers for the rewrite . . . [they] may have decided they really weren’t comfortable."
In other Marvel related news, the company's website has announced that prior to The Avengers' opening in May, the comic book company will be releasing a four part comic book series that fills in the gaps between the end of the first five movies and next year's superhero omnibus. The first two issues will be released in March, written by Chris Yost and Eric Pearson and illustrated by Luke Ross and Daniel HDR.
