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Jenkins (Monster) made headlines in early December when she departed the high-profile sequel to May's Thor. Both she and Marvel cited "creative differences" but THR's Kim Masters later revealed that Marvel abruptly dismissed Jenkins when the studio felt she was showing “a lack of overall clarity in her choices,” according to one source. Marvel was concerned that the filmmaking process would be “difficult” and that the planned release date might be hard to hit.

STORY: 'Thor 2' Director Patty Jenkins Exits

The move to jettison Jenkins infuriated star Natalie Portman, who had been excited about Jenkins becoming the first woman to direct a major superhero tentpole film. A source speculated that Marvel executives might have been won over initially by Portman’s enthusiasm for Jenkins but then, “when they started to interview writers for [a planned script] rewrite . . . may have decided they really weren’t comfortable.”

Regardless, if a deal can be worked out, Taylor will now step into the director's chair. Marvel also is hiring a writer to work on the script by Don Payne.

Email: Matthew.Belloni@thr.com

Twitter: @THRMattBelloni