It seems that the family of MCU directors might be more close-knit than we realized. Though speculation has been running wild for who might replaceJames Gunnin the director’s chair forGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and thoughThor: RagnarokdirectorTaika Waititi’s name has been thrown into the mix more than most, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker has squashed that particular idea.
Waititi arrived at the ongoing TCA event today to attend the FX panel and chat about his upcoming seriesWhat We Do in the Shadows, a TV series based on the 2014 film by the same name he co-directed, co-wrote, and starred in alongsideJemaine Clement. (The series’first official trailerdropped today, by the way.) But of course, questions as to his other projects popped up.Deadlinereported on Waititi’s comments onGotGV3,hisStar Warsseries for the Disney+ streaming service, and more.
First up, will Waititi be taking over directorial duties from Gunn? Definitely not.
However, I’m still hanging out with those [Marvel] guys and talking about new stuff. I want to do another movie with them.
After confirming that he didn’t take any official meetings with Marvel before deciding not to pursueGuardians, Waititi clarified his reasoning:
For me, those are James (Gunn)’s films. Going into something like that with his stamp all over his films, would be like going into someone’s house and saying ‘Hey, I’m your new dad, and this is how we make peanut butter sandwiches now. It feels kind of awkward.
While Waititi would undoubtedly make better peanut butter sandwiches than my dad, his decision not to step on toes and, ostensibly, stand with Gunn (whom Disney/Marvel dismissed over manufactured outrage in order to distance themselves from his unsavory jokes and tweets from a few years back) is a respectable one. It’s also a smart one considering that he wants to make more movies with Marvel and has aStar WarsTV series in the works with Disney+. Here’s what Waititi had to say aboutThe Mandalorian:
It was amazing. [Jon] Favreau is a genius … it’s fun doing something in theStar Warsuniverse. It’s [strange] to see a stormtrooper, and then when you’re doing a scene with 50 or 60 of them, it’s amazing.
So, not really much to go on there, but for fans who are worried that Waititi’s signature style will skew the newStar Warsstory away from its core sensibility, something fans still holdRian Johnsonaccountable for in their criticisms, he addressed those concerns as well. CouldThe Mandalorianbe getting a boost from Waititi’s colorful, energetic, and improvisational style?
“A little bit, butStar Warsis very different to the Marvel style. The tone of the first films really should be adhered to, it’s what the fans like. You can’t disrespect it. Definitely my tone is in there.”
While it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting Waititi’s take onGuardians of the Galaxyanytime soon, fans do haveThe Mandalorianto look forward to. He’s also got the bizarre adventure that is the World War II dramedyJojo Rabbitopening sometime this year. Then, in the unforeseeable future, Waititi might just be back for another round in the MCU. Fingers crossed!
