Exclusive: Taika Waititi In Talks To Direct A DC Universe Movie
Is Taika Waititi moving over to DC Films? Here's what we've exclusively learned.
This article is more than 2 years old
Taika Waititi seems to be pretty good at taking a small job and turning it into a future opportunity. We saw him do this with Star Wars. First, he had a fun role as the voice of IG-11 in The Mandalorian, then he directed an episode, and now he is co-writing and directing his very own Star Wars film. Recently, he had a small role in DC’s The Suicide Squad. It would have been easy to miss him. He played Ratcatcher, the father of Ratcatcher 2. Still, that had him on set for a DC film, talking to director James Gunn and meeting studio executives. Apparently, he made the most of that opportunity. Thanks to work from one of our trusted and proven inside sources, we have now learned that Warner Bros is in talks with Taika Waititi to direct a DC movie.
This is surprising because of how much Taika Waititi has on his plate at this time with Marvel projects, Star Wars, and his many television obligations. However, it’s not surprising given how popular the director is. Once DC had a connection with the popular filmmaker on set, of course they took the opportunity to speak with him. We weren’t able to learn what project the studio is discussing with him. Based on past stories from other directors, it seems likely that they may be open to hearing what Taika may be interested in doing. While they may have a script on hand that the director could pick up, if they’re getting this filmmaker on board, it seems most likely that he’ll want to sign up to write and direct his own story.
Taika Waititi has a role as the villain in the upcoming film Free Guy. As a filmmaker with his face both on-screen and off, he’s built up a big name for himself. He’s fun, he’s different, and that comes off in his work. It seems unlikely that Taika Waititi would add yet another Batman or Superman project to DC’s growing catalog. Pulling from DC comics, there are plenty of strange characters out there he could use as inspiration. There’s a DC hero called Flex Mentallo who influences reality by flexing his muscles. The strange is available for him.
However, one of the great things about his work has been when Taika Waititi has taken fairly benign and normal things and made them funny, relatable, and emotional with his own voice. When he uses big concepts, he still breaks them down to their heart. Based on some of his past work, it wouldn’t be surprising if he chose a younger hero for his own DC entry.
While Marvel is creating a cohesive cinematic universe, DC is kind of doing their own thing. While audiences have largely found that frustrating, and it can often be confusing to the casual viewer, it does offer a lot of opportunity for creatives like Taika Waititi. Based on past stories we’ve heard from filmmakers working with DC, when they have the studio’s trust, it sounds like they can get more freedom with their project. For example, James Gunn has worked with both Marvel and with DC. He’s said that at DC, the studio was a lot less involved in the editing process. He added that at DC, he has the opportunity to make something more unique to the filmmakers.
That’s something that may appeal to Taika Waititi. This is the filmmaker who brought us Jojo Rabbit, where he took a comedic approach to playing Hitler as an imaginary friend. Thor: Ragnarok stood out as a unique entry in the Marvel Universe. Right now, he’s coming off of filming in Australia for Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Audiences are expecting it will also stand out among Marvel movies. What would he even do with the freedom a DC project could afford him? If his talks with the studio go well, he’ll have answers for that soon.
