Filmmaker Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “What We Do in the Shadows“) is one of the most original voices to break into Hollywood in ages, and he’s got the insanely busy schedule to prove it. Now, he’s been tapped to help the newly merged Fox/Disney figure out the best approach to adapting a classic character.
Deadline has the scoop that the mega studio has enlisted Waititi to help “crack” a new version of “Flash Gordon,” the sci-fi comic series starring the titular hero. According to the trade, this adaptation will be animated, though it’s unclear if Waititi is simply being brought on in a supervisory role to oversee the project’s start, or if he will actually write and direct the adaptation himself.
While Deadline reports that they’ve heard it’s the latter, additional sources with connections to the filmmaker told the trade that “it’s too early to gauge” the extent of Waititi’s involvement. So fans will have to wait and see before they get too excited just yet.
But Waititi is certainly a natural fit for the quirky source material, especially if Fox/Disney want to lean into the campier aspects of the character. The last attempt at making a feature film version of the series resulted in 1980’s “Flash Gordon,” and that flick is best remembered for its outrageous cheese factor and over-the-top Queen theme song.
After years in development hell, a live-action remake of animé classic “Akira” is finally happening, with “Thor: Ragnarok“‘s Taiki Waititi set to direct.
And that means he’s dropping out of another project, “Bubbles,” which would have been a stop-motion film told from the point of view of Michael Jackson‘s pet chimpanzee. That’s probably just as well.
According to The Wrap, “Akira” now has a release date of May 21, 2021, which puts it head to head with “John Wick 4” and an as-yet-untitled Marvel movie. Which is sort of ironic, as John Wick star Keanu Reeves was once rumored to star as Kenada when Albert Hughes was attached to direct an “Akira” live-action film in 2011.
Waititi’s project was first announced in 2017 before “Thor: Ragnarok,” was released. Back in April 2018, he assured fans that his film would be faithful to the books.
“What I wanted to do was an adaptation of the books, because a lot of people are like, ‘Don’t touch that film!’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not remaking the film, I want to go back to the book,” Waititi told Dazed. “A lot of the people freaking out haven’t even read the books, and there are six gigantic books to go through. It’s so rich.”
Original manga author Katsuhiro Otomo gave his blessing for a live-action remake, as long as he is allowed “to check and approve the scenario,” as he told Forbes in 2017.
Manga and animé hated recent live-action remakes of “Death Note” and “Ghost in the Shell,” so let’s hope “Akira” ends up closer in spirit to the original source.
The film is being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions and will be released by Warner Bros.
Yesterday at Star Wars Celebration, the official Star Wars convention currently being held in snowy Chicago, fans were treated to something genuinely new: a peek at “The Mandalorian,” the first-ever live-action “Star Wars” television series and the first flagship series on the soon-to-launch direct-to-consumer Disney+ platform. And as both the first step into a new corner of the “Star Wars” galaxy and the initial offering for a game changing service, what we were shown exceeded expectations. Disney+ already has its “Game of Thrones” and it hasn’t even started yet.
After a brief intro from Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy (who serves as an executive producer on the series), creator, writer and showrunner Jon Favreau was joined on stage by executive producer and director Dave Filoni (making his live-action debut), who more or less served as the emcees for the hourlong panel. The two have a jovial, brotherly charm, coming from the fact that Filoni directed Favreau, who appeared on Filoni’s “The Clone Wars” animated series (as a Mandalorian!) and you could tell they were very excited to finally tell people about the project.
Favreau said that he was compelled to see “what happened after the celebration at the end of ‘Return of the Jedi.’ What would happen and what type of characters would survive before the New Republic took over? You have chaos taking over the galaxy.” He said that this setting provided “a rich environment and tone.” Inspired by “old westerns and samurai films,” as well as the “post-Civil War old west” (the character of the Mandalorian was often described in the panel as a “gunslinger”), Faveau was inspired by a rich melting pot of ideas. Amongst the other “elements” he wanted to contribute to this new series was “everything from the original trilogy, the prequels, the sequels, ‘Clone Wars,’ even bringing in things from Legends” (the decommissioned official “extended universe” that Disney jettisoned after purchasing Lucasfilm). Filoni noted that they even tipped their collective hat to the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special,” which marked the first appearance of Boba Fett (you can see that influence in The Mandalorian’s pronged weapon that looks like a cross between a shotgun and a tuning fork).
One of the more interesting anecdotes that Filoni and Favreau shared was that the Mandalorian’s ship, The Razorcrest, was brought to life via models. Favreau joked that Guillermo del Toro taught him to “make practical effects so that you can have them in your place” and that “you can’t hang a QuickTime file up in your office,” so they built a miniature Razorcrest, first as a kind of test, and then to actually appear in the show, with Jon Knoll, an absolute visual effects legend at Industrial Light & Magic, building the motion control rig that photographed the miniature ship. It seemed to really bring out some enthusiasm at ILM, with Favreau joking that “a lot of people came out of the woodwork” to be a part of it. They then showed lighting passes on the ship, including a really cool pass with just the ship’s engines firing (thanks to flickering LED lights). The mood and texture of these test alone was jaw-dropping; seeing them composited into a final shot will be pretty transcendent.
And, of course, we were introduced to the cast of the show. Pedro Pascal is playing the titular “bounty hunter and gunfighter” (according to Favreau). Pascal described him as “a mysterious gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy. I would say he has moral questionable.” Also, quipped Pascal: “He’s a bad-ass.”
Lucasfilm
Meanwhile, former MMA fighter Gina Carano plays another new character named Cara Dune, another soul searching for stability in the post-war galaxy. “She’s an ex-Rebel shock trooper,” Carano said. “I’m a bit of a loner. I’m having trouble reintegrating myself into society.” (Carano seemed very excited to be a part of the project but also very scared about spilling any secrets prematurely.)
Lucasfilm
And Carl Weathers, who was also on hand for the panel (“I’m really happy to be here, of all the things I’ve been involved with, I don’t think anything has come close to this”), is playing a character called Greef Karga. “He’s a guy who is running a group of bounty hunters,” Weathers explained. “The Mandalorian is a guy he figures can get the job done so he hires him and sends him out there.” (More on this in a minute.)
But the actors were joined on set one day by some very special guests: members of the 501st Legion, a group of amateur Stormtroopers that are recognized by Lucasfilm and called on for special events or charity functions. “We had production meetings and after seeing the set we realized that we didn’t have Stormtroopers and there were only so many uniforms we had and thought it wasn’t going to do the trick for the storytelling,” Favreau said. “But I know a bunch of Stormtroopers,” Filoni interjected. So the team called on the 501st. Filoni said that he wasn’t worried about the costumes. “They held up,” he said. They initially weren’t even told what they were needed for. “They said, ‘What for?’ And we said, ‘Just come down,’ Filoni said. To which Jon Favreau responded, “I didn’t realize that they weren’t told what it was for.” Later, he said they were “so polite and nice.” And Carano seemed genuinely shocked at the level of detail in their handmade costumes and Weathers expressed even more admiration: “They work really hard. They were on point the entire time they were there. It was so cool. I learned stuff from watching those guys and women.” Well said!
Lucasfilm
There were also two batches of footage that they showed: initially they showed a kind of behind-the-scenes sizzle, showcasing the talent behind the camera (including directors Bryce Dallas Howard and Taika Waititi) as well as in front of it, with rough, approximate shots that might end up in the series. Then, at the end of the panel, as people were streaming out of the auditorium, Favreau told everybody to turn around and sit down because he had some “real” footage to show them. And it was pretty great.
This “real” footage started with a fairly prolonged scene. The Mandalorian was in some kind of cantina-like space, sitting across from Greef. Greef is offering him jobs, which are too low for the Mandalorian’s liking. He asks for a bigger job but Greef says that this one is more dangerous. The Mandalorian takes it anyway.
We then cut to him visiting a hole in the wall (he’s scanned by the same robot that Jabba has at his palace), taking an audience with an unnamed character played by the great German filmmaker Werner Herzog. Herzog is surrounded by dirty Stormtroopers and a weaselly guy in a lab coat named Dr. Pershing (played by Omid Abthai). The bounty that Herzog gives him requires him to bring back the mark alive but, hey, if the target dies, he understands.
From there we were treated to a really fabulous montage, featuring (but not limited to) shots of the Razorcrest flying through deep space, Cara Dune kicking ass, Giancarlo Esposito as an unnamed character flanked by Death Troopers (the super scary Stormtroopers first introduced in “Rogue One“), another shot of Esposito piloting a TIE Fighter, lots of creatures (including the same kind of creature Salacious Crumb is, plus various crazy monsters from the Mos Eisley Cantina), an assassin droid voiced by Waititi (rumored to be named IG-11) and the Mandalorian, running, hiding, shooting but never, ever taking off his helmet.
The footage made the show look huge, which is not an easy feat, especially considering it was shot entirely in Los Angeles. (It is the first “Star Wars” project filmed in the United States.) Still, this is the one of the few television series ILM has ever worked on and they seem to be working at the absolute top of their game. The tone definitely seems like it has wandered from the hopefulness of most “Star Wars” projects, and the amount of deep cut characters and references seems to lend it its own idiosyncratic, esoteric vibe. The television format seems to have freed the show’s creators from having to color inside the lines. It’s a show set in wild, untamed space, and the show feels like it is charting similarly adventurous ground. Must-see TV doesn’t even justly describe “The Mandalorian;” it is now one of the most rabidly anticipated events in all of pop culture. And for good reason too – it looks that good.
“The Mandalorian” launches with the rest of Disney+ on November 12.
Can we handle this much funny in one movie? “Thor: Ragnarok” director/actor Taika Waititi is joining Ryan Reynolds in the sci-fi action comedy “Free Guy.”
It’s about a guy who’s a background character and realizes he’s living in a video game. With the help of an avatar, he tries to stop the creators of the game from shutting down his world. (So, kind of like “Wreck It-Ralph.”)
The rest of the cast are no slouches: Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Brockmire,” “Ride Along”) Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”), Joe Kerry (“Stranger Things”) and Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out”).
Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum”) is directing from a script by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn.
“Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi is set to direct an episode of the upcoming live-action “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian” — and it seems he might be pulling double duty.
Jon Favreau, who is writing and producing the Disney+ series, shared an image show Waititi behind the mic, with a classic “Star Wars” droid character on screen: IG-88.
IG-88 first appeared in “The Empire Strikes Back” as one of the bounty hunters sent by Darth Vader to locate the Millennium Falcon.
The show is set after the fall of the Empire in “Return of the Jedi” and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter (Pedro Pascal) in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
Episodes will be directed by Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, and Waititi.
This isn’t the first Waititi has done voice work for one of his directorial projects. He also played Kor in “Thor: Ragnarok.”
It’s based on the 1981 Terry Gilliam cult film about an 11-year-old named Kevin who travels through time with six dwarfs meeting people like Robin Hood and Napoleon Bonaparte. It featured appearances by his fellow “Monty Python” alums John Cleese and Michael Palin.
Waititi, who directed one of the funniest Marvel movies to date, seems like a perfect match for Gilliam’s dark sense of humor. He and Gilliam will both be executive producers, along with Dan Halsted of TBS’s “People Of Earth.”
And he’s also busy with the TV version of his riotous vampire comedy “What We Do In the Shadows,” which he co-wrote and co-directed with “Flight of the Conchords” partner Jemaine Clement. That debuts March 27 on FX. (Set your DVRs.)
The Guardians of the Galaxy are still without a leader behind the lens, following the controversial firing of writer-director James Gunn last summer. And now, one high-profile candidate has taken himself out of the running for the gig.
During an appearance at the Television Critics Association winter press tour to promote his new FX series, “What We Do in the Shadows” (based on his film of the same name), Taika Waititi addressed the rampant rumors that Marvel wants him to take over the “Guardians” franchise from Gunn. When asked if he had met with studio heads to discuss the possibility, Waititi said he “didn’t really,” adding that he didn’t think it was appropriate for him to replace the dismissed director.
He explained:
“For me, those are James (Gunn)’s films. Going into something like that with his stamp all over his films, would be like going into someone’s house and saying ‘Hey, I’m your new dad, and this is how we make peanut butter sandwiches now.’ It feels kind of awkward.”
We don’t blame Waititi for feeling that way at all, and imagine many other directors share that sentiment, too, since Disney and Marvel haven’t been able to find anyone else to take the job, either. But despite Waititi’s reluctance to head up “Guardians 3,” the “Thor: Ragnarok” director said he has a great relationship with the folks from the MCU.
“I’m still hanging out with those guys (Marvel) and talking about new stuff,” he told the TCA crowd. ” … I want to do another movie with them.”
Here’s hoping we see that one sooner than we see “Guardians 3” (if that flick ever materializes).
Yesterday, director Jon Favreau announced the title and log line for his upcoming live-action “Star Wars” series (slated for Disney’s new streaming service, set to launch in 2019). But today even more details have emerged about “The Mandalorian,” including the first image from the show.
According to a post on StarWars.com and reiterating what Favreau posted yesterday, “The Mandalorian” “is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.” Favreau will serve as a writer and executive producer, with Dave Filoni (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars Rebels”) directing the first episode. Other directors announced include Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa (“Dope”), Bryce Dallas Howard (whose father just directed “Solo: A Star Wars Story”) and, most excitingly, Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok”). Favreau, Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson will serve as executive producers. Since little is known about the launch date of the new streaming service, it’s unclear of when the new series will air.
How excited are you for this new series? Will it be enough to get you to subscribe to the new service? Let us know!
Marvel fans fell in love with the quirky vibe that director Taika Waititi injected into “Thor: Ragnarok,” and apparently, the film’s titular star was a big fan of the new tone, too.
In an interview with GQ, Chris Hemsworth chatted about his most famous role, and how it’s evolved over time. The actor got his big breaking debuting as the God of Thunder in 2011’s “Thor,” which quickly typecast him
“It was quite jarring for my family and friends when I was on-screen doing a straight, heroic, sort of overly masculine kind of thing,” Hemsworth told GQ.
He added:
“I came into Hollywood thinking I had to be Russell Crowe. I loved his performances, and because of my physicality and my size, that was the obvious choice. I think I was aware that it could kind of get me in the door,” Hemsworth says. “But it wasn’t me.”
Eager to play roles that hewed more closely to his warm, goofy personality, Hemsworth collaborated with Waititi to change the way that Thor operated, going toe-to-toe with Tessa Thompson‘s Valkyrie, who challenged the hero at every turn. It was a change that Hemsworth says elevated not only his own acting, but the franchise as a whole.
“The first one is good, the second one is meh,” the actor said of the original “Thor” and its sequel, “The Dark World.” “What masculinity was, the classic archetype—it just all starts to feel very familiar. I was so aware that we were right on the edge.”
We think MCU devotees will agree that Hemsworth and Waititi made the right call. And obviously, Hemsworth is a delight in less-serious roles, particularly as the adorably dim-witted receptionist, Kevin, in 2016’s “Ghostbusters.” We’re glad he’s now able to flex his acting muscles as much as his real-life muscles.
“Game of Thrones” star Alfie Allen is leaving Theon behind and becoming … a Nazi. It’s not quite an upgrade, personality-wise, but it’s exciting news for the actor’s career to be joining the “Jojo Rabbit” ensemble.
“Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi wrote and is directing “Jojo Rabbit,” a World War II satire in which he also costars as a version of Adolf Hitler.
The story follows an awkward young German boy (Roman Griffin Davis) raised by a single mother (Scarlett Johansson) whose only ally is his imaginary friend Hitler (Waititi). The boy is raised in a Hitler Youth camp and is confronted with a decision when he learns his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in the house.
Newly minter Oscar winner Sam Rockwell plays Captain Klenzendorf, Nazi leader of the boy’s Hitler Youth Camp. Rebel Wilson will play Fraulein Rahm, described as a brutish instructor in the camp.
According to Deadline, Allen will play Finkel, second in command to Rockwell’s Captain Klenzendorf.
“I’m stoked to begin shooting my anti-war satire,” Taika Waititi recently said at the start of production. “We’ve assembled an incredible cast and I couldn’t be more excited to finally ridicule Nazis and their beliefs. This film is going to piss off a lot of racists and that makes me very happy.”
The first photo from the movie is shown at top, with Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) having dinner with his imaginary friend Adolf and his mother, Rosie.
Deadline reports that Alfie Allen will follow “Jojo Rabbit” with “How To Build A Girl.” That film stars Beanie Feldstein as Johanna Morrigan, “an opinionated and overweight girl desperate to leave her hometown, who remakes herself as the badass music critic Dolly Wilde. She quickly gains notoriety as an enfant terrible, but is this girl she built really who she wants to be?”
And of course we’re waiting to see what happens with Theon and company in “Game of Thrones” Season 8, the final season coming to HBO in 2019.
“Game of Thrones” star 