Taika Waititi Explains Why He's Directing Thor: Ragnarok

Many fans were surprised when they learned Taika Waititi had be tapped to direct Thor: Ragnarok. The beloved indie director was a favorite choice for film enthusiasts considering his work on projects like Hunt of the Wilderpeople. Some were confused why Taika even signed onto the project, and now, the filmmaker is explaining why he elected to direct the blockbuster.

Taika spoke to Digital Spy about Thor: Ragnarok and revealed what part of the project attracted him. "I always want to do something different when I make something," he said. "I really like the idea of doing something really big. My films have always been a lot smaller. I like the kind of films I make but it was an opportunity that presented itself that wouldn't come around often, so I thought I would just pursue."

The New Zealand native was also interested in working with Australia's Chris Hemsworth. The director admitted he had wanted to work with Chris at some point and that Thor: Ragnarok provided him that opportunity.

However, Taika was not always so confident about taking on this kind of large-scale film. The director took to Twitter earlier this year to get some hilarious help from fellow Marvel directors. Taika tweeted James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Peyton Reed (Ant-Man), and Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) with a quippy question about how many explosions he should put into Thor: Ragnarok.

Those fears dissipated once Taika got to set and met with the team at Marvel. In a recent interview, the director said filming as been good. "I'm surrounded by really intelligent, amazing people. I've got access to great minds and great resources. So I'm at a real advantage," Taika explained.

"In terms of the studio thing, these people don't act like a studio. They're cool, smart storytellers. I've been enjoying hanging out with them. And I've made commercials, so I've worked with the worst people in the world. Nothing could be more restrictive than working with people in advertising."

The director's most recent interview saw Taika reiterate those sentiments. "It's going better than expected and it's a lot of fun shooting," he said. "The style is not too dissimilar to how I would normally work. It's just a longer schedule because it's a bigger film with more special effects and things like that."

Thor: Ragnarok is scheduled to hit theaters on November 3, 2017.