Filmmaker Taika Waititi has has become a household name in the past few years. After working on well acclaimed independent projects, Waititi helped to breath fresh life into the Thor franchise with Ragnarok, and will be back for Love and Thunder. He also earned his first Academy Award last weekend, earning a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his movie Jojo Rabbit (which was also nominated for Best Picture). But would he be interested in directing an installment of the Star Wars franchise? Turns out he's got some very blunt opinions about the subject.
Taika Waititi's work with Marvel Studios proved how well he could handle stories within a massive and iconic franchise. And after he played the droid IG-11 in Disney+'s The Mandalorian, many fans hoped Waititi might helm an installment of the beloved space opera. Now the writer/director/actor has addressed that possibility, saying:
I think people see me hanging out with people, especially with Star Wars, and think I’m having some big discussions about it. I would fucking love to... If it was right. I would want to do any kind of movie if it made sense, and if it felt not like career suicide.
Well that was honest. It looks like Taika Waititi has some mixed feelings about directing his own installment of Star Wars. Because while in some ways it sounds like a dream, he's also nervous that a poorly received movie could negatively affect his career.
Taika Waititi's comments to Variety shows what a double edged sword the Star Wars franchise can be for filmmakers. While many directors dream of the galaxy far, far away, there's a ton of responsibility and weight that comes with singing up to expand the franchise. Generations of moviegoers are brought up on George Lucas' colorful world, and therefore have strong reactions to each new movie. Waititi just doesn't want to end up on the wrong side of history.
The Star Wars franchise comes with a ton of pressure for filmmakers, and a few artists have been on the receiving end of fan response. Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story failed to resonate with moviegoers, becoming the franchise's first box office failure. While Rian Johnson and Kelly Marie Tran were also the subject of online hate following the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Taika Waititi's career is white hot at the moment, and is showing no signs of slowing down. He's now officially an Oscar winning screenwriter, which should help him green light a variety of passion projects. Next up is his upcoming movie Next Goal Wins, before starting work on Thor: Love and Thunder. Waititi might not want to risk taking on a Star Wars movie as well. But he also admitted that he's "fucking love to" so who knows want might happen in the future.
Jojo Rabbit is still in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
