In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Waititi says, "I've often said if Freddie Mercury were alive, I would have asked Queen to do the soundtrack. It just has that feel: it's a cool bold, colourful cosmic adventure. And it just needed to be fun."
The director says he also drew inspiration from famous illustrator Jack Kirby's work.
"I loved the kind of cosmic trippy vibe of the Thor comics. Another influence for me was Flash Gordon. I grew up loving that movie," he says.