Latest news with #Thor:Ragnarok
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Taika Waititi to helm new Judge Dredd film
Taika Waititi is to direct a new Judge Dredd movie. The Thor: Ragnarok filmmaker has been tapped to oversee a new picture featuring the popular British comic book character. Drew Pearce - who has penned action movies such as The Fall Guy and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - is set to write the script. Insiders say that Waititi and Pearce are friends who both grew up with the books and have been trying to find a project to collaborate on for several years. Dredd was created in the late 1970s by scribe John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra and debuted in the British weekly anthology comic 2000 AD. He is a police officer in the bleak future metropolis of Mega-City One and is empowered to be judge, jury and executioner. Dredd proved to be a hugely popular character, featuring in several more comic strips, video and board games, books and even postage stamps in the UK. Over 100,000 comics and graphic novels featuring the character are said to have been sold. A Hollywood movie about Dredd was made in 1995 with action legend Sylvester Stallone in the title role, but the film was critically panned. The character returned to the big screen in 2012 for a more positively-received film with Karl Urban starring and a script by 28 Days Later writer Alex Garland. Plot details are yet to be revealed but it is believed to take inspiration from the comics rather than previous movie adaptations - leaning into world-building and dark humour. It is said to be a fun sci-fi blockbuster that is hoped to mark the launch of a Dredd universe that could be expanded with more films and shows on various platforms. Taika has helmed two movies in the Thor franchise but revealed that he had "no interest" in working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and only accepted the project because he was "poor". The 49-year-old director told the Smartless podcast: "You know what? I had no interest in doing one of those films. It wasn't on my plan for my career as an auteur. "But I was poor and I'd just had a second child, and I thought, 'You know what, this would be a great opportunity to feed these children.'" Waititi added: "And Thor, let's face it – it was probably the least popular franchise. I never read Thor comics as a kid. That was the comic I'd pick up and be like 'Ugh'. And then I did some research on it, and I read one Thor comic or 18 pages, or however long they are." Taika felt that Marvel reaching out to him suggested that they were unsure about what to do with Chris Hemsworth's god of thunder. The Jojo Rabbit director explained: "I think there was no place left for them to go with that. I thought, 'Well, they've called me in, this is really the bottom of the barrel.'"
Otago Daily Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Cool Kiwis: five figures who tick all the boxes
Serena Solomon uncovers five New Zealanders who tick the boxes of being "cool". The secret to what makes someone cool now has some scientific backing. A recent study concluded that cool people tend to have the following traits: extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous. While extroverts need little introductions, the other traits might. For the study, people who are considered hedonistic are people who put pleasure first and enjoy life. An adventurer is someone who takes risks and likes surprises. Someone who is open refers to a person who is creative and open to new ideas. A powerful person has money or is someone who has others under their authority. Universidad Adolfo Ibanez associate professor of marketing Todd Pezzuti, lead researcher on the study, offered up — like it or not — tech billionaire Elon Musk as someone who hits all six markers. So, who are New Zealanders that possess the formula that equals cool? I've come up with five New Zealanders who hit all six traits, thus making them verifiably cool, according to science. By no means is this an exhaustive list, but a starting point for who makes the cut. Taika Waititi It is hard to know what a person is like in private, but by all accounts, the film director, script writer and actor is an extrovert to the max. Creative risk-taking on early projects such as Boy , What We Do in the Shadows and Thor: Ragnarok vaulted him to the upper tier of Hollywood, winning an Oscar as proof. As for hedonism, Waititi is living his best life with his wife, singer Rita Ora. And what is a director who does not love bossing people around on set? Parris Goebel Goebel is from South Auckland and is one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world, working with the likes of Rihanna and, most recently, on the viral dance for Lady Gaga's Abracadabra music video. If her Instagram account is anything to go by (she has a $ for the s in her username), then she is living the good life — working with Beyonce, attending the Formula One or standing in front of a van in some lush furry coat. Like directing, the essence of a choreographer is telling people what to do and embracing the new. Steven Adams Rotorua-born NBA player Steven Adams no doubt has presence at a towering 211cm (6ft 11in), helping him secure a $US39 million ($NZ65m) deal with the Houston Rockets this year. That is some nice money to live a good life, although a lot of photos on his Instagram account are of his dog, a Belgian malinois, which he describes as a small German shepherd, so not exactly a designer dog. In 2024, he finished second in team-mate of the year voting, with superstar Steph Curry in the first spot, so let's assume a bunch of really tall guys listen when Adams speaks. Te Aorere Pewhairangi The social media star and te reo Māori and tikanga consultant has some influence. He learned his te reo Māori through a full-immersion school. It landed him the prized gig of te reo commentator for the All Blacks during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. When he is not filming hilarious social media content with former boxer Mike Tyson in Las Vegas, he is knee deep in community advocacy and adventure. Case in point was his 12-day walk in 2023 along State Highway35 to raise funds and awareness for the Gisborne region after it was devastated a month earlier by Cyclone Gabrielle. Lorde While we are in Lorde overload right now following a months-long build-up to her new album, Virgin — it reached No 1 on the UK and US charts — it would be ignorant not to mention her in this list. After all, David Bowie called her "the future of music". She breaks barriers with her art, and Virgin shows her openness to new sounds and new ideas such as using psychedelic drugs as therapy. Attending the Met Gala in New York in a custom Thom Browne design gets you instant hedonistic status. Honorary mentions Tayi Tibble: The poet was crowned an "It Girl" by the New York Times in 2024. Winston Peters: The well-groomed politician had an adventurous start to his working life as a tunneler on a hydro-electric construction project in Australia. Arguably, he hits all the markers of being cool, according to the research. Jujulips: The South African-born, Auckland-raised hip-hop artist is also on her way to becoming a style icon. Peter Thiel: One of the original tech bros, the American billionaire is a mirror of Elon Musk (they were key figures in forming PayPal), and Thiel got his New Zealand citizenship in 2011. Anna Mowbray: The entrepreneur moved to China to work on the toy company ZURU with her brothers. The wealth generated from that venture resulted in a recent and very hedonistic — and controversial — application to have a helipad built on her inner-city Auckland property. Dai Henwood: The comedian and New Zealand household name has made us laugh and cry for decades, even while in the midst of treatment for stage 4 cancer. The checklist Recent research showed cool people tend to have the following traits.— • Extroverted. • Hedonistic. • Powerful. • Adventurous. • Open. • Autonomous.
Evening Standard
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Why books are rewriting the box office in 2025
Another story that might feel more non-fic than sci-fi comes from Nobel Prize-winning Kazuo Ishiguro. The author of the emotionally devastating Never Let Me Go returns with Klara and the Sun, starring Jenna Ortega as Klara, an artificial friend bought to keep a sick child company. With AI dominating cultural conversations, Ishiguro's questions about what it means to be human couldn't be more timely. Directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) and co-starring Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne and Steve Buscemi, this one is already sparking serious chatter. Coming: October
The Star
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Zachary Levi describes facing wrath of Hollywood for supporting Trump
The 'Shazam!' star endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Photos: Zachary Levi/Instagram, AP Zachary Levi is opening up on navigating the backlash he's faced due to his support of Donald Trump and espousing controversial views on Covid-19 vaccines. The Shazam! star endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election after his preferred candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out and joined forces with the MAGA leader. Already courting 'cancellation' because of his vaccine scepticism, he called the move 'career suicide' at the time because 'Hollywood is a very, very liberal town.' In a wide-ranging interview published May 22, Levi revealed that he's since experienced the wrath of Hollywood. 'I know that there are people that would prefer not to work with me now because of my opinions. My team has let me know,' he told Variety executive editor Tatiana Siegel. 'They haven't given me any specific names, but there are people who prefer not to work with me at this time. And it's unfortunate.' The self-described Hollywood pariah – whose credits include Chuck , Thor: Ragnarok and Harold And The Purple Crayon – also revealed that while he may be one of few people in the industry who publicly came forward with their support of Trump, he's not the only one. 'I know it to be true because I've gotten messages from lots of people who I won't name but who were very grateful to me for taking the stand that I took,' Levi said. 'They would tell me, 'I want to do that, but I'm so afraid.' And I would tell them, 'Listen, you're on your journey. I'm on my journey. You've got to keep trusting God. And if you feel compelled to step out in that way, then do it boldly and know that you're going to be OK. "And if you don't feel that conviction yet, then don't. It's all good.'' The 44-year-old Louisiana native, who welcomed his first child with photographer Maggie Keating in April, also shared his true thoughts on Trump himself, saying he's not blind to certain issues. 'I was not a fan of Trump's Trumpiness. I didn't like a lot of these personal things, the ways that he carries himself a lot of the time,' Levi confessed. 'I understand people's aversion. Do I think the whole package is somehow perfect? No. In fact, most people who voted for Donald Trump recognise a lot of the imperfections in all of it. Nobody was saying, 'This is the Orange Messiah.'' – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Chris Hemsworth talks about legacy of Thor and his return in Marvel's Avengers Doomsday. Watch
Marvel's Thor is one of the most important characters of the main MCU timeline and the central comic-book timeline as well. Often referred to as the 'strongest Avenger', the character made its MCU debut in Thor (2011), with Chris Hemsworth deciding to don the red cape and the mighty hammer. On Wednesday, Chris Hemsworth shared an emotional video on his YouTube channel, revisiting some of Thor's most memorable moments across the Marvel films. He also delivered a message that's sure to leave fans feeling both nostalgic and excited. The video starts with one of Odin's (played by Anthony Hopkins) iconic dialogues, where he recites the oath which is supposed to be taken by his son Thor, as a protector of the nine realms. Just as we see Thor rise up to the occasion, filmmaker Kevin Feige describes how they found Hemsworth and how he blew everyone away with his portrayal. 'One of the early decisions we made at Marvel Studios was to bring on Thor, and we looked the world over and we found Chris Hemsworth.' An old screen test of Hemsworth as Thor starts playing as Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) compliments Hemsworth on his attitude and the amount of work he puts in. ALSO READ | Hugh Jackman answers if Wolverine features in Robert Downey Jr's Avengers Doomsday, addresses fan theories: 'I will find a cool way to…' Other collaborators, such as actor Tessa Thompson (King Valkyrie) and director Taika Waititi, showered more praise on Chris Hemsworth, with Thompson calling him brave and Waititi recalling working with him in Thor: Ragnarok and how he just wanted the actor to be himself to make the character more relatable. A series of scenes from several movies follow featuring stars like Jaimie Alexander (Sif), Russell Crowe (Zeus), and Christian Bale (Gorr), while Hemsworth recalls the journey he has had while playing this character. The actor captioned the video, 'Playing Thor has been one of the greatest honours of my life. For the last 15 years I've held Mjolnir and then Stormbreaker as the God of Thunder, but what made it truly special… was sharing it with all of you. Your passion, your cheers, and your love for this character have meant everything to me. Thank you for making my journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe unforgettable. Next up, Doomsday!' The fans will be eager to see Thor return to previous form after his last outing in Love and Thunder wasn't very well received, just like most MCU films after Endgame.
