Christopher Yost joked that there will be a lot of cursin’ in “Thor: The Dark World.”
Yost, 40, of Los Angeles was not-so-subtly referring to Malekith the Accursed and Kurse, two of the villains in “Dark World,” which he cowrote based on the Marvel Comics characters, which in turn were drawn from Norse mythology.
A 1991 graduate of Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, a 1995 graduate of the University of Michigan and a 2002 graduate of the University of Southern California, Yost has written for many animated series, including “X-Men: Evolution,” “The Batman,” and “Wolverine and the X-Men.” He was head writer-story editor of “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” and “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”
“Dark World” is his first movie screenplay and the eighth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a sequel to “Thor” and 2012’s “Marvel’s The Avengers,” the third highest-grossing film of all time at $1.5 billion.
In it, Malekith (Christopher Eccleston, “28 Days Later”) and his army of Dark Elves — long believed dead — return. Standing against Malekith is Thor (Chris Hemsworth), his nigh-omnipotent father Odin (Anthony Hopkins), love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and the forces of Asgard, home of the Norse Gods. The stakes are so high that Thor must recruit Loki (Tom Hiddleston), his evil half-brother and antagonist of “Thor” and “Avengers.”
During a visit at the Detroit Fanfare Comic Con in Dearborn in late October, Yost spoke about “Dark World.”
QUESTION: How’d you get the job of writing “Dark World”?
ANSWER: It was a long road, for sure. I’d done a little work on “Thor” — some additional photography, some rewriting. … A lot of it was just being there. … There was a writer named Don Payne (who cowrote the story), who unfortunately passed away (this year). Don was a wonderful man and a huge talent. He was kind to me and I’ll always be grateful for that. … We’d have lunch together and brainstorm ideas. … Months and months passed and I was in this position where Marvel bumped this script to me and said, “Hey, see what you can do with it.”
I quickly rewrote it, based on Robert Rodat (and Payne’s story). They had the story done, but it was more (about) executing it. I gave it a pass and people seemed to react positively to it. They gave me some notes and I did another pass.
It was definitely a long road after that, too. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely came aboard. Through all our efforts, it became the movie it is now. I went to England, Iceland … got to work with the actors and director Alan Taylor (TV’s “Game of Thrones”). So we were able to forge this movie, as they say.
Q). What else happens in this sequel?
A: You’ll spend a lot of time on Asgard. You’ll see a lot of the other realms. You get to hang out with Thor. What does he do when he’s not working? More of the family dynamic’s there. Everything in “Thor,” we amp up.
The Loki stuff is really a huge part of it. We really wanted to make Asgard a real place to give you a better understanding of these characters. We still spend a lot of time on Earth with Jane, Darcy (Kat Dennings) and Erik (Stellan Skarsgard). But a lot of time’s spent on Asgard — you get to meet the family. You’ll see more Asgardian characters.
Q: Who is your favorite character to write?
A: I enjoyed Loki and Thor together. They’re a lot of fun because they have such a contentious relationship and Loki’s such a smart-ass in his own Asgardian way. I really enjoyed writing Darcy. She speaks my language. She was a lot of fun and (Dennings) was a pleasure to work with.
Q: Was it challenging to make it a “Thor” story and not an “Avengers” story?
A: We are definitely influenced by what happened in “Avengers,” but we are definitely telling a Thor story. This story has everything to do with the characters of Thor’s universe and the characters from “Thor.” We definitely nod our head to the adventures in “Avengers” for sure, but — no — this is very much a Thor thing.
Q: “Avengers” director Joss Whedon did some rewrites, correct?
A: Yeah, Joss came in and did a few scenes. You know what? Welcome aboard. He’s Joss Whedon. We had a few scenes that were conceptually tricky and — obviously — he has a working relationship with Chris Hemsworth and Marvel Studios. … He’s writing the “Avengers” sequel and Thor’s part of that universe, so we were happy to have him come in and do a few scenes with us.
Joss was made to do this. The great thing about Joss is not only did he deliver the action and the super-heroes in “Avengers,” but what he excels at is the interpersonal relationships that really benefit the character parts of it. He really did show how it was done.
Q: Has “Avengers” raised the bar on superhero movies?
A: Without a doubt. Without a doubt. It really set the world on fire. … It’s funny because everyone sort of knows the Hulk, but “Avengers” raised the awareness of these characters, which is shocking. I’m like, “Wow! I never thought that day would come!” It’s amazing to watch. As a lifelong comic book fan and reader who loves these characters, it’s been amazing to see the whole world embrace them.
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