Taika Waititi Only Directed Thor Because He Was 'Poor'

The director made his MCU debut with 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, one of the most beloved films in the franchise.

However, in a recent episode of Smartless (the podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett), Taika admitted the decision to make his first blockbuster film was motivated purely out of a need for money.

"I had no interest in doing one of those films," the New Zealand filmmaker said. "It wasn't on my plan for my career as an auteur. But I was poor and I'd just had a second child. I thought, 'You know what, this would be a great opportunity to feed these children.'"

He went on to describe his trepidation when Marvel approached him with the project.

"They called and said 'do you want to do this?' And Thor – let's face it, was probably [Marvel's] least popular franchise," Taika recounted. "I never read Thor comics when I was a kid. I did some research on it and I read one full comic, all 18 pages or however long they are. I was still baffled by this character."

His next film in the franchise, 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder, was far less well-received by fans and critics.

Earlier this month, Taika told Inverse that while he needed a "break" from the MCU Chris Hemsworth was in talks for a fifth Thor movie. Now whether or not he would feel just a little bit bitter about Marvel Studios going with a different director, he joked to the Smartless boys, "I would never feel like they are cheating on me."

"We're in an open relationship," he continued, "and it's like if they want to see other people, I'm happy for that. I'd still get back into bed with them one day."

Taika still has a Star Wars movie to make while his latest film, Next Goal Wins, is currently in theaters.