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All the Films Taika Waititi Is Attached to and the Odds He'll Actually Direct Them

By Dustin Rowles | Film | May 5, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | Film | May 5, 2023 |


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When you’re a hot commodity, especially as a director, studios are eager to pin anything on you. I think that attaching a big movie director to a pitch or IP — whether that director ultimately directs the project or not — probably helps it get off the ground. There was a time, in fact, when Hollywood attached every other project to Guillermo del Toro, which led to a number of unrealized projects. Things have simmered down for del Toro — he only has three films in production now, and I am confident that all three will be made.

Taika Waititi is apparently the new Guillermo del Toro, even as the bloom is off the rose for the director since the mid reception of Thor: Love and Thunder. He has one upcoming completed film, Next Goal Wins, which looks like a film that’s going to do really well on streaming (unfortunately, it’s a theatrical release). It’s about the greatest losing streak in soccer history, and it’s based on a true story. I will pay $3.99 to rent it and watch it with my family!

What else does Waititi have cooking? Let’s take a look, with odds placed on the likelihood of the project actually getting made.

The Tower of Terror — Waititi was first attached to a movie based on the Walt Disney World attraction of the same name back in 2021. Scarlett Johannson is also attached to it. John August and Josh Cooley wrote the script. However, there has been no movement on it for the last couple of years.
Chances Waititi Will Make It: 10 percent

The Incal — Again, Waititi was attached to the adaptation of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius’ famous graphic novel The Incal back in late 2021. He and Jemaine Clement were supposed to co-write the script. The movie would follow John DiFool, a private detective who discovers a powerful artifact, the Incal, and becomes embroiled in a cosmic conspiracy involving corrupt politicians, religious fanatics, and mystical entities. There have been no updates on this one since 2021, either.
Chances Waititi Will Make It: 10 percent

Untitled Star Wars Film — Last June, Waititi was given an opportunity to write and direct a new Star Wars film based on new characters. However, everyone has taken a crack at a Star Wars, including Kevin Feige, Patty Jenkins, and Damon Lindelof, whose stabs have all been shelved. Will Waititi finally be the director that breaks through and gets a new Star Wars film made?
Chances Waititi Will Make It: 40 percent

Time Bandits — This one is a television series based on the Terry Gilliam novel. Waititi is making this one with Jemaine Clement, as well. Waititi co-wrote the pilot and will direct the first two episodes. This one is a go — it’s fully cast (with Lisa Kudrow, among others) — and will premiere on Apple TV probably late this year.
Chances Waititi Will Make It: 100 percent

Akira — Waititi was attached to write and direct Akira, which has been in development hell for years, back in 2020. He left the project to direct Thor: Love and Thunder. However, he has said that he plans to return to it after he’s done with the untitled Star Wars film. I think it will probably stay in development hell for many more years.
Chances Waititi Will Make It: 25 percent

Interior Chinatown — The Charle Yu novel Interior Chinatown is being adapted for a 10-episode Hulu series starring Jimmy O. Yang. The satirical novel explores Asian-American identity through the lens of a struggling actor named Willis Wu, who navigates the limitations and stereotypes of Hollywood’s portrayal of Asian characters. Waititi is attached to direct the pilot episode, and I suspect he already has. This one is shooting and will probably be released later this year.
Chances Waititi Will Make It: 100 percent

Klara and the Sun — Based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel about a robot girl designed to prevent loneliness who tries to save a heartbroken family of humans, this is the most recently announced Taika Waititi project. Waititi would also co-write it from an original script already written by Dahvi Waller. This was announced only a few days ago, so it hasn’t had enough time to go to development hell, but considering all the projects already on his plate, I assume there’s a 50/50 chance it’ll end up there.
Chances Waititi Will Make It: 50 percent

Flash Gordon — This one is based on the 1980 film Flash Gordon directed by Mike Hodges, based on the comic strip character created by Alex Raymond. It’s about a football star as he battles the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless to save Earth and the universe from destruction. It’s most famous for the soundtrack from Queen. There hasn’t been an update on this since mid-2021 when it was announced that it would be live-action instead of animated. I doubt we’ll ever see either, at least from Waititi.
Chances Waititi Will Make It: 15 percent