Taika Waititi teases Thor: Love and Thunder: "Fans assume it's the passing on of the torch... I don’t think that’s the case”

The Thor: Love And Thunder trailer's hasn't so much broken the internet as smashed it to smithereens with Mjolnir. Taika Waititi’s sequel – following the events of Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame – may feature the God of Thunder turning his back on superheroics, but it's the return of Jane Foster, played once again by Natalie Portman, that has caused the most extreme elation. 

But how closely will the film stick to Jason Aaron’s The Mighty Thor comics, which have had a major influence on the upcoming Marvel movie? Speaking with Total Film in the new issue of the magazine, featuring Jurassic World Dominion on the cover, Waititi says: "We stick pretty closely to Jane’s storyline, and what happened to Jane... because that was such an influence on the film. We’re trying to take the best parts of that."

He continues: "And also, it’s really fun, the idea that Thor [has] got Stormbreaker, that big axe, and now his hammer’s back and it’s in the hands of someone else. It’s no longer his hammer. It’s the idea that someone’s taking his place. I think a lot of fans are gonna potentially assume, ‘Oh, OK, this is the passing on of the torch’... I’m not privy to any plans Marvel has for the future, but I don’t think that’s the case." Below, see an exclusive new image of Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Thor: Love and Thunder

(Image credit: Marvel/Disney)

Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8. For more from Waititi, as well as the huge cast of Jurassic World Dominion check out the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves (and digital newsstands) this Thursday, May 26 – you can pre-order here!

Total Film's Jurassic World Dominion covers

(Image credit: Universal/Total Film)

If you’re a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so you never miss an issue? Sign up via MagazinesDirect and you’ll save money on the cover price, as well as getting exclusive subscriber covers like the one you can see above. And with our current subs offer, you can also get a free STM Powerkick portable charger..

Total Film's subscription offer

(Image credit: Total Film/Universal)
Matt Maytum
Editor, Total Film

I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.

With contributions from