Elizabeth Banks wanted to direct Thor: Ragnarok, but Marvel didn’t call

The Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t release a film from a female director until 2019, when Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s Captain Marvel hit theaters for the first time. But in another corner of the multiverse, Marvel Studios’ first female-helmed movie could have happened two years earlier if Elizabeth Banks had wound up directing Chris Hemsworth in 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok.”

Banks, whose third directorial effort, “Cocaine Bear,” comes out later this month, revealed that he was “very interested” in directing the superhero film in a new cover story. Species. Banks told the publication that the film caught his attention because Marvel planned to make Thor’s character a lighter, lighter one in his third outing.

“An attraction to sensibility,” he said. “That character is funny and you know how well Chris can bring himself up, that’s my vibe.”

Banks also said that she “believes” Marvel was called to pitch the film to the studio, but in the end “nothing ever happened.”

“Nobody called (back),” Banks said.

While the opportunity isn’t gone, Banks holds no hard feelings toward Marvel or eventual “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi, saying the New Zealand filmmaker was “rightfully” given the job.

Banks’ brushes with superhero movies don’t just stop at Marvel. He also revealed that he had a pitch for a film featuring the DC Comics character Catwoman “a long time ago”. When asked if she had spoken to new DC Studios co-head James Gunn, who directed her in 2006’s Slither, Banks said she didn’t believe her show would go into the studio with the current trend, Gunn and Peter Safran.

“I don’t think it fits in my mandate right now,” Banks said. “But maybe one day.”

Had Banks directed “Ragnarok,” the film would have been his second directorial venture after 2015’s “Pitch Perfect 2.” The “Hunger Games” actor later directed 2019’s “Charlie’s Angels,” a reboot of the female-led action series starring Kristen Stewart.

Banks doesn’t seem to have any plans to make his superhero debut in the future, telling Variety that “Ragnarok” was the last major franchise he was interested in doing. The star said he wanted to make films that carried his own signature style and that “Cocaine Bear” helped him further hone his voice as a director.

“I can’t make someone else’s vision come true,” he said. “I really want to make things felt.”

“Cocaine Bear,” an R-rated thriller-comedy about a bear who goes on a rampage after consuming a bag full of cocaine, opens in theaters on February 24. Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra and Margo Martindale.

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