'Thor: Ragnarok' Chatter: Hulk Smash, But Will Hulk Speak?

Oh, look – another day, another post featuring director Taika Waititi. What can we say? We like the guy. And we like his movies. And we like Marvel movies, so we like that he's directing Thor: Ragnarok and we like that he's saying all of the right things.

And that brings us to the latest piece of news to travel from his mouth to your web browser: the Hulk, who normally doesn't have a lot to say between smashing things, may be a bit more vocal now that he gets to play galactic buddy cop with Thor.

As you may already know, Thor: Ragnarok will find the Odinson and the not-so-jolly green Avenger galavanting across outer space on a quest to save existence from the titular Norse Armageddon. Spoiler-y details about how these two superheroes end up on this quest together have arrived online, if that's your thing. Anyway, Waititi discussed the current status of the film with HitFix and he chatted about whether or not the Hulk will be getting an expansive vocabulary in time for his next appearance:

It's interesting, because at the moment, there's a big conversation that's happening about how far to push that. Whether or not The Hulk should be [verbal/conscious]... I think a lot of those conversations have more to do with what's going to come up in future movies. So I think a lot of those decisions are larger group decisions, rather than anything to do with just me or the writer. They have a lot of stuff that they have to consider. But I do think that's the best way to track it. I think we all want that. I think we all want to see that development and the evolution of that character. I also think you can do it in a fun way.

Depending on which era of the Hulk you're dealing with, the character has been a mute monster who only grunts and groans or a bit of a chatterbox who is capable of carrying on basic conversations. As Bruce Banner and the Hulk grow more intertwined, it wouldn't surprise us at all to see the each one taking on traits of the other. Plus, the Hulk and Thor need trade quips in this movie.

In this quote, we can see the Marvel Studios dynamic at work. While the studio has certainly hired its fair share of unique directors with specific visions, every creative decision still has to gel within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. For some filmmakers, these constraints have led to some fascinating and occasionally ugly stand-offs (just ask Joss Whedon and Edgar Wright), while others have thrived in an environment that demands constant collaboration with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige (James Gunn has been very open about loving the process).

So it's not surprising that Waititi isn't entirely sure whether or not the second lead of his next movie will have much to say or not. The question now is whether or not this is a process that he's cool with or one that will ultimately drive him up a wall. Right now, he seems at peace with it. At least outwardly.

Thor: Ragnarok is set for a November 3, 2017 release date.