Going into the first “Avengers” movie, Thor was probably the second most popular Avenger. Coming off of the stellar “Thor” flick, which somehow managed not to absolutely ruin the mythology in the comic, fangirls and fanboys alike seemed to embrace the fun direction of the character. More than one phase later, however, Thor’s popularity does seem to have waned quite a bit. “Thor: The Dark World,” while an entertaining film, was met with a great deal less enthusiasm than its predecessor, and left fans wanting for a less convoluted plot. While we still got a lot of great scenes between Loki and Thor, it didn’t quite live up to the Shakespearean grandiosity director Kenneth Branagh gave us in the first “Thor.”

Understandably, that had a lot to do with the script as well, but regardless, it’s undeniable that Branagh brought his own flavor to the character that was sorely missing in “The Dark World” (especially those Dutch angles we all loved so much). So when rumors hit the web that Marvel was interested in bringing Branagh back to direct the third film, many fans took to it like flies to honey. Back in February, Branagh even expressed his willingness to revisit the franchise once more, so in a way, the stars seemed to be aligning for a triumphant return.

 â€œNot true. I don’t know where that came from,” Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said in a recent interview with Collider. The man straight-up shot down that theory without so much as a blink. Sorry, Kenneth Branagh fans. I’d love nothing more to say that this means that rumors of Branagh merely signing on weren’t true, but from the sounds of it, Marvel is in no way interested in brining the man on board, period. Considering Branagh has just come off the mammoth success of “Cinderella,” it’s a wonder they wouldn’t want to. Either way, this opens up a great many possibilities for the franchise.

But how long would we have to wait to find out who will be helming the next movie? Feige addressed this question as well.

“Probably towards the end of the summer we would announce a filmmaker and a writer. May be the same person, I don’t know, may be two different people.”

Well, one thing seems to be clear. It won’t be Kenneth Branagh, and it won’t be Alan Taylor, who directed the second film.

Who would you like to see take over as director of “Thor: Ragnarok?” Let us know in the comments down below!

Sources: Collider, THR