TAIKA WAITITI
From Cult Favorite to Hollywood A-Lister
New Zealand-based filmmaker Taika Waititi first gained recognition as a director for his work on the HBO musical-comedy series Flight of the Conchords. Next, he branched into feature films. Waititi found success with the Vampire horror-comedy What We Do in the Shadows that followed a group of vampires as they struggled with mundane daily tasks. The movie was adapted into an FX miniseries last year. After the success of What We Do in the Shadows, Waititi was elevated from cult favorite to Hollywood A-list name when chosen to direct Thor: Ragnarok, the third installment in the Thor movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ragnarok was, without a doubt, the most successful of the Thor movies, bringing a much-needed dose of humor to the franchise. He followed that up with the Oscar-winning World War II satire, Jojo Rabbit. Waititi not only wrote and directed Jojo Rabbit but also starred in it as the main character’s imaginary friend, a version of Adolf Hitler.
Waititi has work lined up on several exciting new projects. Let’s take a look at some now. His next film is a sports comedy, Next Goal Wins. The movie, an adaptation of the 2014 documentary of the same name, follows the worst loss in World Cup history: when American Samoa lost to Australia 31-0. Next Goal Wins stars Elisabeth Moss, Armie Hammer and Michael Fassbender. Then, a film that fans are very excited about, Thor: Love and Thunder. After the success of Ragnarok, Waititi will helm the fourth film in the Thor franchise. Not much is known, but Natalie Portman will reprise her role from the first two films as Jane Foster, who will take on Thor’s mantle. Production is scheduled to begin in early 2022.
And finally, Waititi is scheduled to write and direct a brand new Star Wars film. Absolutely no plot or cast information is out about this project. As of now, it is expected to come out in winter, 2024. We at PROVOKR are certainly looking forward to all his upcoming projects.
