'Thor: Love and Thunder' To Use The Volume Technology Used For 'The Mandalorian'

Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the biggest unknowns in recent cinema. After the excitement that was Infinity War and Endgame, as well as the departures of Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans from the films, that leaves Chris Hemsworth as the remaining member of the "big three" (so to speak) Marvel characters. The next Thor film, Thor: Love and Thunder, is arguably the biggest one on the upcoming docket of films.

Directed by Academy Award-winning writer and director Taika Waititi, the last Thor film added a new level of humor and fun to the Thor movies that is missing from most of the Marvel movies, Guardians of the Galaxy aside, and it appears that this trend will continue with the latest movie. According to the director, the film will be "over the top in the best way." Given how nutty Thor: Ragnarok was, that means that we are more than likely in for a crazy ride helmed by arguably the most unique filmmaker working today.

With the new film comes new filming technology. The hit Disney+ Star Wars TV show The Mandalorian introduced new virtual production technology colloquially known as The Volume. With The Volume, according to director Jon Favreau, you can "limit the amount of people" during production and it makes use of a "much more contained set." With the global COVID-19 pandemic going on, anything that can make the most out of fewer people actually around each other can make it easier to make the movie or show you want to during these times. It can help create a safer, less risky environment for people working on projects such as Thor: Love and Thunder.

From The Direct :

"It appears that Disney and Marvel Studios are both keen on finding innovative ways to properly start the production of several big budget blockbusters, and Thor: Love and Thunder is prime to utilize an effective tool to address potential challenges during the pandemic. In a way, using The Volume for Love and Thunder makes sense since Taika Waititi already had experience using the technology while filming the season finale of The Mandalorian."

Given that Disney owns both Star Wars and Marvel, it makes sense that the technology would be utilized for both franchises. With its success during The Mandalorian, it is more than likely that Disney will use it for every single project that can utilize it. With the emphasis on social distancing, getting the least amount of people is ideal. If there is a COVID outbreak during the filming of something, that would be an expensive, time-consuming problem for any production.

It is not unlikely that other companies will attempt to create their own such technology. With the future of the film industry up in the air, and likely changed forever due to the outbreak, technology like this will most likely have some level of permanent use even after the pandemic dies down and we try to go back to the new normal of a post-COVID 19 world. Until then, production companies are going to use whatever they can to get back to what things were like before, which would allow them to, you know, actually start making movies and money again.

With the pressure to keep up with the standards that Disney has shown for the previous Marvel films, Waititi has to use every tool in his arsenal to make Love and Thunder as good as he can, and the pandemic throws a wrench in that. With the new technology he is already familiar with at his disposal, he has a better chance to make the movie he wants to make.

And hopefully, by then, the theaters will be fully open so that we can actually go see it.

Written By Tommy Durbin

Syndicated From Culture Slate