Taika Waititi Shares Insights on the Future of Three Major Projects

What We Do in the Shadows was a strong project but didn’t quite break into the mainstream. However, with Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi skyrocketed to fame, quickly becoming one of the most popular and in-demand directors in Hollywood—a meteoric rise that was hard to ignore.

Since then, though, his career has faced a downturn. Thor: Love and Thunder was met with disappointment, while Next Goal Wins was enjoyable but not groundbreaking. Though Our Flag Means Death found success, Waititi’s star power isn’t where it once was.

As a result, three of his major projects—a live-action adaptation of the anime classic Akira, his take on the Star Wars franchise, and a Flash Gordon remake—have all been placed on hold and appear to be stuck in developmental limbo. Recently, the director himself spoke out about the future of these projects.

All three of these projects were incredibly ambitious. Akira is widely regarded as one of the greatest anime films ever made, blending stunning animation with powerful storytelling. It has earned its place as a cult classic, and it’s easy to see why everyone handles it with such care.

Waititi first announced plans for a live-action adaptation back in 2017, but since then, there has been no progress on that front.

As for the Star Wars project, it was revealed after Waititi’s success with Thor: Ragnarok and the momentum Star Wars was enjoying at the time. His involvement in The Mandalorian—where he voiced IG-11 and IG-12—further fueled excitement.

Following these achievements, Lucasfilm announced that Waititi would direct his own Star Wars film, one that promised a fresh and unique take. However, nothing has materialized so far, and with Lucasfilm shifting its focus, the future of the project remains uncertain.

Finally, there’s the Flash Gordon remake. A cult classic from the 1980s, Flash Gordon is beloved by many, despite being considered low-budget by some. Waititi was initially set to helm an animated remake, but that plan was scrapped and replaced with a live-action version. However, no progress has been made on that front either.

As it stands, all three of these projects are in limbo, and with Waititi’s career currently at a crossroads, the future remains unclear.

Given this uncertainty, the team behind The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast took the opportunity to ask Waititi about these stalled projects during an interview focused on his latest work, Interior Chinatown. Here’s what he had to say:

What was ever alive? What is death? You know, death is just a new opportunity. More life to grow and flourish,” Waititi joked. “Everything’s always in development. My advice for any filmmaker is, ‘Just say yes to everything.’ Because, you know, things come and go.

And you never know what stage things are. And I’ve been attached to things that have disappeared for three years and then bubbled back up. I’m like, ‘Oh, I thought that thing was dead. Now I’ve got to go do that again.

Source: The Playlist

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