- [Announcer] Whether you're a Taika virgin
or have loved Waititi's work from 'Eagle vs Shark'
up through Hulk versus Thor.
- He's a friend from work.
- [Announcer] You can see that Waititi's only just begun.
On this IMDbrief, we break down how the New Zealand jokester
went from low budget vampires
to Marvel, 'Star Wars' and beyond.
- Oh, it's definitely not a good time to be a Nazi.
- [Announcer] Unless you're Taika Waititi.
Wait, that came out wrong.
The director plays Führer in his new film 'Jojo Rabbit'
and its premiere at TIFF will surely rewrite history.
(laughs) (quirky music)
But, it wasn't that long ago that he
and friend/fellow filmmaker Jemaine Clement
were making short films in their New Zealand home
to establish their specific brand
of improvised low-key comedy.
- I mean, we're all good, but we could be better at this,
I mean, you know?
- [Announcer] "What We Do in the Shadows" began
as a 2005 short that was remade as a hilarious 2014 feature.
Then, spun off into two series with plans
to make a future film
centered on the vampires' nemeses, the werewolves.
(all hissing)
(all howling)
Clement, who broke out on his musical HBO series,
"Flight of the Conchords" in 2007,
had Waititi write two and direct four episodes,
including this tender ode to a long-limbed coworker.
♪ I had a budgie, but it died ♪
♪ Whoa, whoa ♪
♪ I like pie ♪
- [Announcer] Apart from collaborations with Clement,
Waititi's own films are much more personal,
human dramedies, like 2009's 'Boy'
and 2016's heartwarmingly crass "'unt for the Wilderpeople'
which propelled young Julian Dennison
into tentpole franchises like 2020's 'Godzilla vs. Kong'
and 2018's 'Deadpool 2.'
- Stay back or Justin Bieber dies.
(Deadpool laughs)
- [Deadpool] Justin Bieber, he called you Justin Bieber.
- [Announcer] But it was 2017's 'Thor: Ragnarok'
that made Waititi a household name,
as his fresh take on the MCU's age old Asgardian
was the course-correct needed to atone for the dark world.
- Anyone here fought the Grand Master's champion?
- Doug has.
Doug?
Oh no, Doug's dead.
- [Announcer] Since "'agnarok' was a critical
and box office hit, Marvel Studios pres Kevin Feige
lined up 'Thor: Love and Thunder' for November 2021.
Waititi personally convinced Natalie Portman
to return to the MCU and all he had to do
was offer her Thor's mighty hammer.
- Just shut up and drive.
- [Announcer] All good news for Marvel fans,
but bad for Warner Bros., who had to bump their production
indefinitely down the road for Waititi's planned
live action remake of the epic futuristic anime 'Akira.'
(groans) (engine roars)
(groans) (engire roars)
(tires squeeling)
(grunts) (metal crashing)
(brakes squeeling)
And while 'Jojo Rabbit' kicks off an awards season sprint
at the Toronto International Film Festival in September,
Waititi will moonlight with Fox Searchlight
on another project,
an adaptation of the 2014 doc, 'Next Goal Wins,'
about long time losers the American Samoa soccer team.
- I'm just trying to prove we're not the same team anymore.
I wanna win again.
- [Announcer] He just needs to wrap that up
before 'Love and Thunder' starts production in early 2020
which should be no sweat for the multi-hyphenate
who is somehow also juggling a remake
of Terry Gilliam's 'Time Bandits'
for Apple's new streaming service,
crossing comic book lines for a rumored role
in James Gunn's reboot of DC's 'The Suicide Squad,'
and cracking a script for an animated remake
of the '80s colossal goof 'Flash Gordon.'
- [Woman] Go, Flash, go!
(dramatic synth music)
(Flash grunts) (groans)
- [Announcer] And somewhere in the midst of all that,
he found time to voice the bounty hunting robot IG-11
for Disney+ series "The Mandalorian"
which drops in November.
Oh, and he also directed an episode because, hell yeah!
- Don't you agree?
- [Announcer] Which for a moment made us ask,
will this future be too much Taika to take?
- People used to say a lot of nasty things about me.
- [Announcer] Not possible.
So stay glued for more on 'Jojo Rabbit'
and our coverage of all the TIFF premieres
at imdb.com/toronto.