Marvel Fires Patty Jenkins From ‘Thor 2’, Pisses Off Natalie Portman.

Patty Jenkins was totally going to direct Thor 2. Now she’s totally not going to. The reversal of directing fortunes has cheesed off Black Swan herself, Ms. Natalie Portman.

Indiewire:

Eyebrows were raised a few weeks back when “Monster” helmer  Patty Jenkins, the surprise choice to helm the sequel to this year’s top superhero movie  “Thor,”  departed the project  over the always-popular ‘creative differences.’ The studio have moved quickly to replace her,  considering  TV helmers  Daniel Minahan  and  Alan Taylor  for the gig (with no decision yet made), but in the process, according to  The Hollywood Reporter,  they’ve seemingly managed to piss off Oscar-winner  Natalie Portman, who was set to topline the sequel.

Supposedly, Portman’s been ambivalent about returning to acting at all after the birth of her child earlier in the year, but had been enthused by the idea of working with Jenkins, who would have been the first woman to direct a superhero movie. When Jenkins was, according to the trade’s sources, fired without warning, Portman was reportedly extremely upset. And now Marvel has an Oscar-winning megastar on their hands, contractually obliged to return for the film, but with no real desire to.

Reports on the reasons behind Jenkins’ firing differ; a source close to the studio says that she was axed because she was being indecisive, and they became concerned with making their November 2013 release date, although, as the trade points out, what Jenkins was meant to decide while  Don Payne’s script was being subjected to a studio-mandated rewrite isn’t clear. Furthermore, it was apparently Jenkins’ clear vision for the project that won her the gig — and Portman’s approval — in the first place.

Additionally, someone presumably close to Jenkins’ camp says that it was the studio being indecisive, not Jenkins; having intially been convinced she was the right choice thanks to Portman, they got cold feet later on. Either way, the star, who picked up her Oscar for “Black Swan” in between shooting “Thor” and its release, is not a happy bunny, and Marvel are seemingly on the charm offensive to win her around again, including consulting her on Jenkins’ replacement.

Well fuck, truth be told, I didn’t even know she was directing it. I’m just amused at Marvel’s continual ability to alienate actors and shed directors. So much for stability.