Discussion What We Do in the Dark Side: Taika Waititi to direct/co-write new Star Wars film

I mean Star Wars is full of jokes in the OT and more in the PT.

 

Yeah, I don't think meta and Star Wars are necessarily incompatible. Rogue One and The Mandalorian seem to be the fan-favorite productions of the post-Lucas era, and there are plenty of jokes, plot points, and other elements that I would define as meta. I also think "silly sideshow piece" is a narrow perspective of how Waititi could or will approach the film.

 

There is no evidence this film will be a stand-alone. With RJ all but confirmed to be gone from the franchise for good, Taika's movie could very well be the start of a new saga.

 

how many nails in the coffin has Star Wars had at this point?

 

The first one was in 1977 when that guy George Lucas directed something called Star Wars.

 

I just rewatched Thor Ragnarok last week and it's still fantastic



"Maybe the fact I was trapped inside of a monster for two years made ME A LITTLE WEIRD!"

 

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This. And his Mando Chapter 8 was great as well.
He is no one to bend something into a new direction. He comes to the same end as others, but takes a completely different, unexpected route and adds some bizarre elements. That is what makes his films so interesting

 

I watched Hunt for the Wilderpeople for the first time last night. I thought it was fine overall, but Waititi's sense of humor remains very hit and miss for me. I think he often has a tendency to halt a narrative for the sake of tossing out a few jokes. Sometimes it works if it's in the service of the story and the characters, and other times it just harms the narrative momentum. I think the scout trooper opening scene of Mandalorian Chapter 8 is probably the right balance, even if it verges on being too long, given how dramatic the end of Chapter 7 was.

 

I agree with all that. Whilst Waititi is obviously a talented chap, his defining trait (IMHO) is the underlying humour he brings to proceedings. I'm not sure how that sits within Star Wars live action films... as the best SW films (IMHO), usually strive to take themselves seriously and are earnest in what they present... even if they have funny moments. The style that he brought to Thor: Ragnorok is much more suited to MCU than it is to Star Wars (IMHO), so I think he'll need to reign those instincts in. I still think he's an interesting choice... but I'm not sure he (currently) has the credentials to unite fans or lift the franchise. There's a hell of a lot riding on the next Star Wars film.

 

https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/taika-waititi-on-the-comedic-process/

Etc. Pretty ridiculous. And the interviewer sounds

like Waititi himself.

Maybe he is!

 

But he's already shown that he can rein those instincts in with his Mandalorian season finale. At least, that's how I feel about it. The episode was clearly a Waititi joint, in terms of its sense of humor, but it also wasn't over the top. And that balance was...very Star Warsy to me.

 

I also think the humor makes certain moments land a bit harder. Take Jojo Rabbit:

Spoiler: Jojo Rabbit

The scene where Jojo finds his mother hanging in the town square wouldn't have landed with quite the same impact if the whole movie was just misery porn, or if you hadn't spent most of your scenes with her laughing. The relatively light touch and frequent humor not only helps to build empathy for characters like Jojo himself and Sam Rockwell's Captain Klenzendorf, both of whom are literally Nazis, it means that once you break the airy tone, it lands like a gut punch.

 

(Okay, last gif...)

 

Saw Thor Ragnarok the other day mainly because its director is expected to direct the next SW film. Several friends had told me it was the best Thor movie (which is no saying much IMO), but I disagree with that. What I saw was almost on the same level than Guardians of the Galaxy 2. An excess of stupid humor in a story with no substance at all.

This is the only movie from Taika I have seen. Not sure the MCU, which I am not a fan of, is the best way to evaluate Taika for the job. Not even in the case I had liked the movie, I would consider it a guarantee I am going to like his take on SW. I liked Looper a lot but strongly disliked what RJ did with his SW movie. Same goes for JJ.

 

I think the key difference is that Favreau wrote the season finale of Mando, whilst Waititi directed (someone can probably confirm). From what I understand of the new Star Wars film, Waititi is both writing and directing it. So it’s not so much his directing style, but rather the writing.