The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently in a fascinating place, as we're living in the interim period between phases. Phase Four will kick off with the upcoming Black Widow movie, but there are plenty more exciting projects coming down the pipeline. Chief among them is Thor: Love and Thunder, which will mark the first time a hero has gotten a fourth solo movie in the MCU. Taika Waititi is back in the director's chair for the upcoming blockbuster, and he's been cagey about what it might contain. And now the recently Oscar winner has explained why he won't confirm or deny certain plot points-- especially Jane Foster's possible cancer plot line.
Thor: Love and Thunder will bring back Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, who will be transforming into Mighty Thor throughout the course of its runtime. In the comics this power comes at a cost, as Jane is also battling cancer at the same time. Comics fans have been eager to see if that story will be adapted for the big screen, but Taika Waititi explained why he's can't confirm or deny that yet. As he put it,
We don’t know. That comics run was a big inspiration and was an influence on the first few drafts. But at Marvel, we always change everything. I could say one thing right now, and in two years, it will be the complete opposite — or that thing won’t exist. We continue writing even in post-production.
Well, that was a very honest reason. It looks like those big calls for Thor: Love and Thunder haven't been made just yet. The movie isn't set to arrive in theaters until November 2021, so there's a great deal of development and writing to be done before production kicks up. So Taika Waititi doesn't want to make any promises he can't keep at this point.
Taika Waititi's comments to Variety come after he won his first Academy Award this past weekend. He won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his work on Jojo Rabbit, which he's spent a number of months publicizing. And while also being busy writing his upcoming movie Next Goal Wins, development for Thor: Love and Thunder hasn't really kicked up yet.
Natalie Portman's Jane Foster was noticeably missing throughout Phase Three. She starred as Thor's love interest in the first two movies in the franchise. She was last seen in Thor: The Dark World, barely surviving her own encounter with an Infinity Stone. Jane was also briefly seen during Avengers: Endgame's time heist, through unused footage of Portman from her last movie.
In the Mighty Thor comics, Jane is proven worthy of wielding Mjolnir and gains the powers of the God of Thunder. But when she transforms into Mighty Thor, it negates the chemotherapy she so desperately needs in her human life. As such, every time she wields Mjolnir, there is a risk and cost.
Thor: Love and Thunder is currently set to arrive in theaters on November 5th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
