Beloved actor and director Taika Waititi will be writing and starring in the film Jojo Rabbit as an imaginary friend based on a young boy's confused perception of Adolf Hitler. The film's script has been floating around Hollywood for years now and was listed as one of the industry's most promising, un-greenlit projects before FOX Searchlight finally picked it up.
Like his script, Waititi has been in the business for a couple decades, but it was his well-written, irreverent vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows, in which he also starred as the lovelorn vamp Viago, that really began to get him noticed in 2014. Waititi stepped in to direct Thor: Ragnarok, the third director in a series of three films, so far. Waititi also provided the voice and motion capture for the scene-stealing rock monster Korg in Ragnarok. The comedian was easily welcomed on set and has often been described as a warmhearted and easygoing person by his former cast and crew. That works out just fine for Waititi, as he would love to become the first Thor director to stick around for a second film.
Related: Chris Hemsworth & Taika Waititi Have Some Thor 4 Ideas
Like his previous films, Waititi will be writing and starring in Jojo Rabbit, The Wrap reports. The film will tell the story of a 10-year-old boy who misses his father and dreams up a friendly version of Hitler to keep him company. Waititi promises the film will not promote a "sympathetic" version of the dictator, but that character will be "goofy" and "charming." He intends to avoid sympathizing with Hitler by portraying the boy's imaginary friend as he may be seen through a confused child's eyes. Check out the full synopsis for Jojo Rabbit below:
JOJO RABBIT, by Taika Waititi (THOR, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE), blends his signature humor, pathos, and deeply compelling characters in a World War II satire about a ten-year-old boy who, ridiculed by his peers and misunderstood by his mother, can’t quite figure out how to fit in. As the naïve young German struggles to understand his place in an increasingly Fascist regime, he resorts to an imaginary friend who can offer advice and help him cope.
Jojo Rabbit is set to begin filming some time in late May, giving it the potential to become FOX Searchlight's first major release following the merger with Disney. The deal has caused a lot of concern, with rumors of a possible Comcast upset and debate over which titles may be affected after the dust settles circling the internet, but FOX has promised to alter as little content as possible during and after the merger.
Beyond Jojo Rabbit, it's unclear what Waititi's future holds. He's said he and Ragnarok star Chris Hemsworth already have ideas for Thor 4, though the director has also mentioned tackling a Black Widow movie - which Marvel Studios is developing - or, jokingly, a Vision and Scarlet Witch rom-com. Further, Lucasfilm executive Kathleen Kennedy is open to having Waititi join the Star Wars universe. For fans excited to see what Waititi will do in the future, it seems Jojo Rabbit is his next project, and with the success of Ragnarok there's plenty more he could do.
More: Taika Waititi Planning What We Do in the Shadows TV Show
Source: The Wrap