Even though he wrote or co-wrote the screenplays to 2011’s “Thor: The Dark World” and 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” Rochester Adams High School alumnus Christopher Yost never intended to become a writer.

Yet, he’s succeeded at it and is now out with a new project — “The Tiger’s Apprentice.”

“I always wanted to be a producer. I graduated from the University of Michigan with a (bachelor’s degree in) film and video … and realized I had no idea what to do after that,” recalled Yost, of Los Angeles. “So I got into advertising in the Detroit area, producing TV commercials for automotive and other local clients. It was great.”

Yet there just seemed to be something missing. After earning his master’s degree in film production at the University of Southern California, Yost realized producing wasn’t the right fit, although he found his USC education very valuable. After talking to numerous writers and producers, he realized writing was something he was interested in and always was. So he began writing spec scripts, which led to his job writing for Marvel’s “X-Men: Evolution” animated series.

Yost also wrote for the animated series “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” “The Batman,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Wolverine and the X-Men” and “Star Wars: Rebels.”. He was also a writer/producer for “The Mandalorian,” the live-action “Star Wars” series. He said he’s amazed at how mainstream superheroes have become in the last 15-20 years, thanks to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly 2012’s “The Avengers,” which grossed $1.5 billion.

“‘The Avengers’ raised the awareness of these characters, which is shocking. I’m like, ‘Wow! I never thought that day would come,’” Yost said. “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.”

Yost’s latest writing project, “The Tiger’s Apprentice,” was released Feb. 2 on Paramount+. Directed by Raman Hui (“Monster Hunt”), it’s based on the popular children’s book series of the same name by Laurence Yep.

“I highly recommend them; they’re super fun,” Yost said. “The movie deviates from them in a few ways, but we try to keep to the spirit of the books that Laurence did so well.”

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This animated movie features the voices of a cast of predominantly Asian descent, including Yost’s fellow U-M grad Lucy Liu (“Charlie’s Angels”), Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Sherry Cola (“Joy Ride”), Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Michelle Yeoh (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Brandon Soo Hoo (“From Dusk till Dawn: The Series”), Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”) and Leah Lewis (“Elemental”).

The plot follows Chinese-American teenager Tom Lee (Soo Hoo), whose life changes forever when he discovers he is part of a long line of magical protectors known as the Guardians and tasked with protecting a phoenix egg. With guidance from a mythical tiger named Hu (Golding), Tom trains to battle the sorceress Loo (Yeoh), who wishes to destroy humanity. To have a fighting chance against Loo, Tom must reunite all 12 animal warriors and master his own newly discovered powers.

The film was co-written by Yost and Oscar-nominated Michigan State University alumnus David Magee (“Finding Neverland”). Yost explained his involvement.

“I’d been working with Paramount Animation on a few other projects, and they brought it up to me. It was a movie that was already in production when I came on board,” Yost said. “David had worked on a previous draft that really laid the foundation and set the movie up. … I came in significantly later during production to really focus on some of the changes that can happen when these things actually start getting made.”

He continued: “Coming in near the end, it really was more about enhancing what was already there. We’d take each scene in turn and see what it needed, sometimes because of animation that was already in progress, sometimes because someone had a visual idea that we then had to support with story beats and dialogue. It’s like assembling a puzzle, but you get to change the picture you’re building as you go.”

Originally planned as a theatrical release, “The Tiger’s Apprentice” was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s hard enough to release a movie at all and COVID certainly didn’t make it any easier. But I saw it fully finished for the first time at the premiere and it was worth the wait,” Yost said.

For Yost, the relationship between Tom and Hu — the core of the story — was his favorite part to write.

“It’s a fun, action-packed adventure filled with magic, mystery and a whole lot of animals. It’s got a rich world, filled with mythology and a truly delightful villain in Loo. … The whole cast is phenomenal,” he said. “It has a few good messages in there, buried beneath the action and fun. Tom learns what it means to be the Guardian of the Phoenix, but it’s not what he thinks it is. It’s not about fighting or using your fists or magic. It’s about heart.”

Yost also is the writer and creator of the comic book series called “Unnatural Order,” published by Vault Comics and illustrated by Val Rodrigues. The first two issues have already been published and are available at local comic shops.

“I’d been wanting to do a story about the modern world colliding with fantasy,” explained Yost. “Usually I adapt other people’s stories, but this time I figured I’d make my own. ‘Unnatural Order’ is about a Navy SEAL who finds himself in a world transformed, filled with magic, monsters and danger at every turn. He’s the only one that knows this isn’t the way things are supposed to be and the book follows his quest to put things back.”

All in all, Yost is grateful for the projects he’s worked on.

“‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ is a favorite,” he said. “I’m a lifelong comic book fan. There’s something about seeing a comic book on the stands in your local comic shop that can’t be beat. I love working on Marvel and DC Comics titles, but it’s nice to put something I’ve created out into the world, as well.”