Since Disney announced that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi would be directing a new Star Wars film, word on the New Zealander’s vision of a galaxy far, far away has been pretty quiet. Rest easy, however, as Waititi tells Wired that he’s “got a story” locked down.
To be clear, the director says the script is still in the very early stages of drafting, but the bones of the plot have been laid out.
“It’s still in the ‘EXT. SPACE’ stage,” Waititi told Wired, referring to how scripts are formatted to describe an opening scene. “But we’ve got a story. I’m really excited by it because it feels very me.”
Waititi’s directorial style has often been defined by humorous, nonsensical contrasts to more serious stories. Jojo Rabbit explored the life of a young German boy in the waning days of World War II, featuring Waititi as Jojo’s imaginary friend, a clownish Adolf Hitler. Thor: Ragnarok launched Waititi to larger renown, injecting a practically slapstick comedy sensibility to the previously darker, Shakespearean franchise.
“I tend to go down that little sincerity alleyway in my films,” Waititi said, regarding how his style would gel with Star Wars. “I like to fool the viewer into thinking ‘ha it’s this and then them going, ‘Damn it, you made me feel something!’”
It’ll likely be a while before we hear any more about Waititi’s Star Wars film, and rest assured that anything could change once the script starts to take more shape and get feedback. The director’s upcoming projects include a What We Do in the Shadows sequel, a Flash Gordon animated remake, Netflix projects, and even a live-action Akira remake, though that one is a little up in the air.
Waititi is co-writing alongside Krysty Wilson-Cairns, co-writer of 1917, Penny Dreadful, and Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho.
While we're waiting, check out the latest casting news for the Ahsoka Tano series and when Bad Batch season two is coming. We'll have to see if Waititi's Star Wars movie can beat out Thor: Love and Thunder for the "craziest thing I've ever done."
Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/quarter-portion for IGN.
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)