When it was announced in October that Patty Jenkins had signed on to direct the sequel to Kenneth Branagh's Thor, it came as a bit of a shock. After all, her previous feature film was the dark and disturbing Monster, starring Charlize Theron, and she hadn't directed a film since. Still, the move was applauded, as it was a sign that Marvel was thinking outside of the box while making their decision (it's worth noting that she was going to be the first female director of a Marvel Studios film). But if the past tense used in this paragraph wasn't enough indication, I have bad news: Jenkins is now longer attached to direct Thor 2.
The news comes to us via Deadline, which reports that her decision to leave comes as a result of creative differences. What's interesting, though, is that apparently the director's relationship with the studio isn't sullied and she could be back to direct another one of the studio's films, though it likely won't be a sequel. Marvel has already begun its search for a replacement director, and they'll have to work fast. Thor 2 is scheduled for a November 15, 2013 release date, meaning that the movie will have to begin production next year. Given the scale of the films, they require a great deal of pre-production, which is a process they'll have to start over with now that Jenkins has departed the project. Don Payne, who served as one of the writers on the first Thor, is writing the script for the movie that will see Chris Hemsworth return as the God of Thunder post-Avengers. In addition to Thor 2, 2013 will also see the return of Robert Downey Jr.'s superhero character in Iron Man 3.
As you could expect, this will once again get people talking about who should direct the next Thor movie. Do you have any good suggestions? Leave your ideas in the comments section below.
