Washington [US], May 4 (ANI): In a notable development for Marvel fans, Kenneth Branagh has expressed interest in returning to direct another installment in the 'Thor' franchise, more than a decade after helming the original 2011 film.

As per Variety, Branagh, in a recent interview, revealed that he has long harboured ideas for revisiting the superhero saga.

'Part of me would love to finish my relationship with that character. I'd always wanted to do more and indeed had a couple of ideas, more in the territory of James Mangold's brilliant Logan. I would love to see Chris Hemsworth and the others have their own individual final story that takes 'Thor' into a glorious twilight,' he said, as quoted by Variety.

Branagh, who directed 'Thor,' did not return for its sequels, including 'Thor: The Dark World' directed by Alan Taylor and later films like 'Thor: Ragnarok' and 'Thor: Love and Thunder' by Taika Waititi.

Explaining his decision, Branagh said the scale and intensity of Marvel productions required him to step away at the time.

'Marvel shoots are intense. Marvel postproduction is more intense, wildly exciting, but super intense. I definitely needed to smell the roses. Kevin Feige was very understanding, and so was the cast. I needed a break,' he said, as quoted by Variety.

Despite his absence from subsequent films, Branagh has kept track of the franchise's evolution.

He described watching the sequels with 'a mix of tremendous pride and amazement at the many ways such stories can go,' adding that it 'would be something very beautiful to take those characters into their own particular sunset.'

However, the director acknowledged that the current trajectory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may limit such possibilities.

'They are so far deep into the future of the Marvel Universe that I'm sure whatever plans they have for it are already kind of set,' Branagh noted.

As per Variety, he added, 'All I know is there's something beautiful to be had out of arriving at a conclusion for that arc of those stories with those characters and those actors.' (ANI)