Taika Waititi says he only agreed to direct Thor: Ragnarok because ‘I was poor’

Taika Waititi has admitted he only directed 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok because he “was poor” after welcoming his second child.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker said he initially “had no interest in doing” a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie but came to the conclusion that making the blockbuster would be “a great opportunity to feed these children”.

Appearing on the SmartLess podcast to hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes, he shared: “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.’”

Thor: Ragnarok earned £685 million at the global box office, and following it's success, Waititi returned to direct the follow-up Thor: Love and Thunder, which was not as well received.

However, the Kiwi star recently revealed that he would be taking a break from working with Marvel, and in the same breath shared his love for the superhero franchise as well as it’s star, Chris Hemsworth.

He told Business Insider: “I know that I won’t be involved... I’m going to concentrate on these other films that I’ve signed on for.

“So that’s six, seven years gone. I’d imagine another Thor would be a lot sooner than that. But I love Marvel, I love working with them. I love Chris.

“I would never feel like they are cheating on me. We’re in an open relationship, and it’s like, if they want to see other people, I’m happy for that. I’d still get back into bed with them one day.”