Thor: Love and Thunder Star Natalie Portman Praises Taika Waititi's Fun Approach

Regardless of what you think of Gorr's (Christian Bale) new look in Thor: Love and Thunder, you can rest assured the movie will be a fun flick all around. That much comes courtesy of Love and Thunder star Natalie Portman, who recently praised the vision and "spontaneity" of filmmaker Taika Waititi.

"Taika brings such a sense of fun, mischief, and spontaneity to the set. It was a really joyful environment and we embraced the silly," Portman said in the latest issue of D23 Magazine (via The Direct).

Waititi himself has said the film is the craziest thing he's ever done, saying he hopes the film brings joy to all those who tune in.

"And that's a wrap on Thor: Love and Thunder," Waititi shared in a celebratory Instagram post shortly after principal photography wrapped last year. "Sometimes two people come together to inspire the world and change the cinematic landscape forever. And then there's me and [Chris Hemsworth] who are too cool to care about anything except making movies that bring people absolute joy. Ok I don't look cool I know that."

The filmmaker then added, "This film is the craziest thing I've ever done and I'm honoured to bust my ass and have a nervous breakdown so you can all see it in May 2022."

Waititi's last Marvel film — 2017's Thor: Ragnarok — is one of the most popular Marvel entries amongst critics and audiences alike. It also happens to be Marvel's highest grossing picture in the Thor franchise, tallying a sizeable $850 million haul at the global box office five years ago. Its predecessors in Thor and Thor: The Dark World grossed $449M and $644.6M, respectively.

Taika Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok, returns to direct Thor: Love and Thunder. He also co-wrote the film's screenplay with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The film and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Jaimie Alexander, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Jeff Goldblum, and Vin Diesel.

Thor: Love and Thunder opens in theaters on July 8th.

What other surprises do you think are in store for Thor: Love and Thunder? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!