Taika Waititi Is 'Throwing Everything At The Wall' For His Star Wars Movie [Exclusive]
"Thor: Love and Thunder" director Taika Waititi is known for his unique, offbeat brand of comedy, elements of which are in full display in "Thor: Ragnarok" and the mockumentary horror comedy, "What We Do in the Shadows." As confirmed back in 2020, Waititi is directing a "Star Wars" movie, and the director has previously mentioned that he wants to introduce fresh ideas to his upcoming, untitled project while preserving his humorous tone.
/Film's Hoai-Tran Bui asked Waititi if he found it difficult to bring his brand of comedy to the "Star Wars" universe, as the franchise's ethos is markedly different from that of the MCU. He responded:
"No. No, I'm able to kind of bring my tone. At the moment it's just very early, because I ... still haven't even finished the script. I'm still trying to come up with ideas and I'm mostly kind of in that part of the process where it's still very kind of open. And when I write, I kind of write every idea I've ever had and then start to kind of chisel it down into something. But I'm still throwing everything at the wall right now."
Throwing everything at the wall until something sticks does sound like a quintessential Taika Waititi method of going about things, as the actor-director has been able to produce emotionally resonant, comedy gold out of the most out-of-kilter ideas.
The Star Wars universe needs a fresh direction
While "Star Wars" as a franchise does have its moments of humor (some intentional, some not — the Prequels in particular are meme fodder), the overall tone of the franchise is serious, even somber. As someone who is great at balancing serious events with outrageous humor, Waititi is the perfect candidate to direct a "Star Wars" film that breaks free from nostalgia trappings to offer something entirely new (and funny).
Although Waititi's "Star Wars" project is next in the pipeline, the script is still in the process of being written, meaning little is known about the story. This is the most creatively ripe stage of the process, although a lot can also change during filmmaking; Waititi is known to give his actors plenty of creative freedom, leaving the room for fresh possibilities and character nuances.
We have already had a glimpse of Waititi's approach to helming a "Star Wars" project, as he directed the season 1 finale of "The Mandalorian." This particular episode even won a Primetime Emmy Award and was well received by critics. Apart from infusing elements of humor, the season 1 finale also featured a heartrending scene between Din (Pedro Pascal) and IG-11 (Waititi), while highlighting the themes of a brave, surprising rescue, heroic sacrifice, and a resolution that promised more adventures in the near future. Waititi might take a similar approach in his upcoming project while upping the ante in terms of his Taika Waititi-isms, which is always a welcome thing.
As Waititi's "Star Wars" project will be released further down the line, you can check out "Thor: Love and Thunder" in the meantime. The film hits theaters on July 8, 2022.