Taika Waititi, who co-wrote and directed the well-received indie vampire spoof What We Do in the Shadows, will direct the third installment in Marvel Studios’ Thor franchise, Thor: Ragnarok, which is currently slated for release on November 3, 2017.  Originally the third Thor film had been scheduled earlier, but was bumped by Spidey’s return to Marvel Studios (see “Spider-Man to Join Marvel Cinematic Universe”).

Waititi, who has also written and directed episodes of Flight of the Conchords, and who appeared with Ryan Reynolds in Warner Bros.' ill-fated Green Lantern film, is another atypical choice for Marvel Studios, which has had success with relatively untested directors with backgrounds in comedy like the Russo Brothers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and James Gunn, who was an inspired choice for Guardians of the Galaxy.