Taika Waititi is fast becoming one of the most highly sought-after - not to mention hardest working - filmmakers in Hollywood. Currently juggling several different projects as director, he recently found time to play the villain in the upcoming Free Guy, and is now in the process of developing his mysterious Star Wars movie for Disney/Lucasfilm.
During an interview with Wired.com, Waititi provided an update on the project, and it sounds like he's making progress.
“It’s still in the ‘EXT. SPACE’ stage,” he laughs. “But we’ve got a story. I’m really excited by it because it feels very me. I tend to go down that little sincerity alleyway in my films. I like to fool the viewer into thinking ‘ha it’s this’ and then them going, ‘Damn it, you made me feel something!’”
We still have no idea what to expect from this particular trip to the galaxy far, far away, but with Waititi at the helm, it's sure to be something a little off-the-wall.
The director also brought us up to speed on his long-gestating Akira remake, and it sounds like there's still a chance Warner Bros. is planning to move forward with the film at some point. “I’m still trying [to make it],” he says. “I don’t wanna give up on that.”
It would be a shame if Waititi never got the chance to see this project to fruition, because he's a massive fan of Katsuhiro Otomo's original manga, and we know he was planning to cast race-appropriate actors in the lead roles.
You can check out the most recent character breakdowns here (the names were altered for the casting call), and let us know if you're still - or were ever - on board with a live-action Akira film in the comments.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.