Taika Waititi is becoming a well-known name, thanks to taking on directorial duties for Thor: Ragnarok after having directed smaller budget movies like Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows. Early reviews for the new Marvel flick have been mostly positive, and if they are any indication, Waititi did pretty well with a much bigger budget than he is used to. If Thor: Ragnarok makes money, Taika Waititi should have his pick of upcoming projects. However, there's one big franchise he definitely doesn't want to get involved with. In a recent profile, the director admitted he wouldn't want to get involved with a Star Wars movie. The reason is pretty simple. He said:
Lolz, I like to complete my films. I'd be fired within a week.
While Marvel and Star Wars are companies that have been known to take chances on directors, the chances Marvel has given have worked out a little better than they have over in the Star Wars camp. For instance, the improvisational nature of Phil Lord and Chris Miller may have directly led to them getting fired from the set of Solo: A Star Wars Story. (Colin Trevorrow was also let go from Star Wars: Episode IX reportedly due to script issues.) Taika Waititi is also a director known for his improvisational manner--in fact, much of Thor: Ragnarok was improvised--and his vibe may not totally jive with what Lucasfilm would be looking for.
In the lengthy profile with the New York Times, Taika Waititi explained a little further why he wouldn't be a good fit for a Star Wars film.
That particular franchise seems really hard. There's not much room for someone like me.
Elsewhere in the profile of Taika Waititi, the director admitted that even working for Marvel was a challenge. He said his personal style tends toward "purposefully crap" but that Marvel likes things to be cleaner, or in Waititi's own words "purposefully amazing." He could stretch his tendencies to fit a Marvel film, but Star Wars seems to be a bit more rigid when it comes to storytelling and the new Marvel director seems to feel he wouldn't be a good fit.
He's not the only one. Recently, David Fincher also explained why he wouldn't want to direct a flick with Lucasfilm, noting that while the gig is a pretty good deal, the expectations are also really high.
Regardless, even if Taika Waititi could figure out how to direct a Star Wars film, it doesn't really sound like he wants to. He doesn't have to make his next move just yet, either. Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters on November 3, and is likely to have a pretty lengthy run at the box office. You can pre-order tickets for the new movie, now. Or take a look at what we know about the upcoming Marvel flick with our full guide.
