Taika Waititi Set To Return For 'Thor 4' As 'Akira' Production Stumbles

Of all the “classic” six Avengers that were featured in “Avengers: Endgame,” the one that seemed to have endless possibilities is Thor. Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder has a new status quo and looks to be one of the leading faces of the MCU going forward. And thankfully, he has Taika Waititi back for another round of Marvel Studios goodness.

That’s right, according to THR, Waititi has signed on to write and direct “Thor 4” for Marvel Studios. The upcoming sequel has yet to be formally announced by Marvel Studios, and while there were rumblings that it was moving forward, it appeared that Thor would be following in the steps of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, with ending his own series in three films. Alas, that’s not the case, and now Hemsworth’s character will be the first solo Marvel hero to get a fourth film.

READ MORE: Tessa Thompson Says Talks About ‘Thor 4’ Have Happened With Taika Waititi Interested In Returning

“But wait! What about ‘Akira?’”

Funny you should ask! THR is also reporting that “development concerns” are responsible for yet another delay on production for the anime adaptation that originally was going to be directed by Waititi. Does this mean that the filmmaker is officially stepping away from “Akira” for good? We don’t know. It appears that script issues have delayed the start date of the highly-anticipated live-action anime adaptation and it just conflicts with the production schedule for the new ‘Thor.’ So, perhaps he’ll return after he’s done with the new Marvel adventure. But this just appears to be yet another brick wall in the long history of barriers preventing “Akira” from arriving in theaters.

So, the big question that remains is what exactly a “Thor 4” looks like? Is it a space adventure with Hemsworth, similar to the Waititi-directed ‘Ragnarok?’ That seems likely considering the fact that we last saw the God of Thunder boarding the Guardians of the Galaxy’s ship and venturing off into the great unknown. However, there’s also that little bit of a problem that Thor is no longer King, as he passed that title to Valkyrie in ‘Endgame.’ Perhaps ‘Thor 4’ will be an Earth-based story, dealing with the ramifications of his homeland being wiped out in ‘Ragnarok’ and his people finding safety on Earth?

READ MORE: Taika Waititi Brought On To “Crack” An Animated ‘Flash Gordon’ Film For Fox/Disney

Honestly, the sky’s the limit and that sounds like the perfect base for Waititi to work from.

Hopefully, we hear more about this project at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, where Marvel Studios is expected to have a jam-packed panel.