Thor and What We Do In The Shadows director Taika Waititi has signed up to direct The Incal – an upcoming sci-fi movie based on the best-selling graphic novel by Alejandro Jodorowsky.
According to Deadline, Waititi will also co-write the script with regular collaborators Jemaine Clement and Peter Warren for Humanoids and Primer Entertainment.
“The films and graphic novels of Alejandro Jodorowsky have influenced me and so many others for so long,” said Waititi. “I was stunned to be given the opportunity to bring his iconic characters to life and I am grateful to Alejandro, Fabrice and everyone at Humanoids for trusting me to do so.”
The Incal is described as an epic space opera following the story of scruffy private investigator John Difool, who happens upon an object of great power known as ‘The Incal’. The mysterious artefact is coveted by many across the galaxy, and prompts Difool to embark upon an epic quest to discover the meaning behind The Incal’s power – as well as the meaning of life itself.
“When Humanoids CEO Fabrice Giger introduced me to Taika Waititi’s work, it became obvious to me that he was the one,” said Jodorowsky. “I fully trust Taika’s creativity to give The Incal a stunning take, intimate and at the same time of cosmic proportions.”
Originally published in instalments between 1980 and 1988, The Incal went on to for the foundation of Jodorowsky’s other works, including the spin-off series Metabarons, The Technopriests, and Megalex.
“It began as the adventures of a jackass named John Difool, and then it became something else,” said Humanoids CEO Fabrice Giger. “We called it The Incal — something that has transformed everything it’s ever touched and continues to do so: its creators, the other artists who later became a part of John’s journey, its publisher Humanoids and myself in the process, countless readers, writers and directors around the world, and soon, I believe, the great Taika Waititi himself and everyone who looks to him for inspiration.”
Taika Waititi is also working on a Star Wars movie, with the director recently confirming that the film has a complete story but the script is still in the early stages.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.