According to the new Thor: Love and Thunder – The Official Movie Special Book set to release on September 19th, director Taika Waititi has confirmed he will be returning to direct the fifth installment of the successful Thor franchise, and his third overall.

Speaking in the book, Taika revealed his ideas going forward and where he sees the character going forward and what kind of foe he’d have to face to match his power and past villains’:

“What is left to do to him? It’s got to be something that feels like it’s carrying on with the evolution of the character, but still in a very fun way and still giving him things to come up against that feel like they’re building on the obstacles that he has to overcome. I don’t think we can have a villain that’s weaker than Hela. I feel like we need to step up from there and add a villain that’s somehow more formidable.”

Taika Waititi via Marvel’s Thor 4: Love and Thunder Movie Special Book

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Taika at least acknowledge wanting to come back and continue Thor’s journey. Back in a July 2022 interview with Insider:

I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it. But it would need to be something surprising and unexpected for me to want to do it. Like what would be the new take? The battles and all the fighting is fine, but I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story.

Taika Waititi via Insider in 2022

Hemsworth in an EW interview said he would come back as long as, “They are unpredictable” and not wanting “to continue to do it until people are so exhausted that they roll their eyes when they see me come on the screen as that character.”

Going by recent box office numbers for Thor: Love and Thunder (760.9 million) and Thor: Ragnarok (854 million) that doesn’t seem to be the case and makes sense to reunite these two, expanding on the character and world of Thor.

Knowing Taika and already doing a 180 on the character in the MCU, there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again to give a fresh take for the audience.