Kenneth Branagh wants to direct a Logan-style “Thor” film

Fifteen years after he first put Mjolnir on screen, the Belfast-born filmmaker is openly pitching his vision for a final chapter. Speaking to mark the anniversary of the original film’s May 2011 US release, Branagh said he never really stopped thinking about what more he could do with the character.

His comments arrive at an interesting moment: Avengers: Doomsday is set to reunite Hemsworth’s Thor with a sprawling cast of Marvel heroes, and fan speculation about a standalone “Thor 5” has been growing steadily.

What Branagh actually said — and what it means for Thor 5

“Part of me would love to finish my relationship with that character. I’d always wanted to do more and indeed had a couple of ideas, more in the territory of James Mangold’s brilliant Logan. I would love to see Chris Hemsworth and the others have their own individual final story that takes Thor into a glorious twilight.” — Kenneth Branagh, Director of Thor (2011), speaking to Business Insider, May 2026

Branagh — a Northern Ireland-born, BAFTA-winning filmmaker — is clearly not just being politely nostalgic. He has a genuine creative concept: strip the God of Thunder back down to something human and weighty, much like Mangold did with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in 2017.

That film, Logan, earned widespread critical praise by trading spectacle for intimacy — an ageing hero, real stakes, and a story that felt like it mattered. It remains the template many fans and filmmakers point to when they talk about giving a superhero a worthy ending.

Why Branagh walked away — and why he feels ready to return

The director was candid about why he did not helm any of the three Thor sequels. He told Business Insider that Marvel wanted him back immediately for Thor: The Dark World (2013), and he was “thrilled” to be asked — but he was running on empty after three demanding years on the original production.

“Marvel shoots are intense. Marvel postproduction is more intense — wildly exciting but super intense. I definitely needed to smell the roses.” — Branagh, Business Insider, May 2026

Alan Taylor stepped in for The Dark World. Taika Waititi then took over for the crowd-pleasing Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the more divisive Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). Branagh said he watched the sequels “with a mix of tremendous pride and amazement at the many ways such stories can go.”

The decade and a half of distance, he suggests, may have given him the perspective to come back and do it properly — with the emotional weight the character now carries after four films.

A Shakespearean director and the MCU’s cosmic gamble

When Branagh was hired to direct the first Thor, Marvel was not yet the guaranteed blockbuster machine it became. Iron Man had proved audiences would follow a lesser-known hero, but the studio still had serious doubts about whether a literal Norse god would land with mainstream crowds.

Branagh’s background in Shakespeare — he directed and starred in both Henry V (1989) and Hamlet (1996) — turned out to be exactly the right lens. He saw Thor as a story about dynastic rivalry, a father’s favoritism, and a son who needed to earn his place. Those themes gave the film gravitas that has outlasted many of its sequels.

It was also Branagh and Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige who made the casting decisions that shaped the next decade of the MCU. The two men chose Tom Hiddleston as Loki and confirmed Hemsworth as Thor on the same Saturday morning — a call Feige described at the time as the most consequential the company would ever make.

Does Marvel have room for Branagh’s vision?

Branagh is under no illusions about the challenges. When asked whether he could actually direct such a film, he was direct: “That’s a whole other question. They are so far deep into the future of the Marvel Universe that I’m sure whatever plans they have for it are already kind of set.”

He added, however, that there remains “something beautiful to be had out of arriving at a conclusion for that arc of those stories with those characters and those actors.”

Hemsworth himself confirmed earlier this year that Marvel has a future solo Thor project in development. Speaking on the SmartLess podcast in February, he said he had discussed a next chapter with Feige — one that leans back into emotional complexity rather than pure spectacle.

Whether or not Branagh is the man to direct it, his comments carry weight. He built the foundation. He cast the actors. And fifteen years on, he still knows exactly what kind of story he would tell.

UK angle: where to watch Thor and what’s next for British audiences

The entire Thor solo film series — including the original 2011 film, The Dark World, Ragnarok, and Love and Thunder — is currently streaming on Disney+ in the UK. A standard Disney+ subscription costs £4.99 per month with ads or £7.99 per month ad-free.

Avengers: Doomsday, which will feature Hemsworth’s Thor alongside a 27-strong cast of MCU heroes, is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on 18 December 2026. It is produced in part at studios in the UK, with principal photography having begun in London in April 2025. A Disney+ streaming release is expected in early 2027.

Branagh himself remains a prominent figure in UK film. He is currently attached to further instalments of his Hercule Poirot franchise for 20th Century Studios, which shoots extensively on British soil.

For a deeper look at Marvel’s UK production footprint, see our coverage of Disney’s major 2026 releases and the wider superhero landscape this year. You can also read our earlier take on Hugh Jackman’s next major project, which speaks to the same appetite for mature, character-first superhero storytelling.