Taika Waititi quickly went from misfit New Zealand filmmaker to one of the most popular directors around following his work on Thor: Ragnarok. Now he’s sought-after by everyone, and has the clout to pack a star-studded cast for his upcoming Nazi comedy Jojo Rabbit. While it looks like his animated stop-motion film Bubbles, that would’ve centered on Michael Jackson’s pet chimp, has fallen by the wayside, Waititi has a different animated movie lined up involving a classic character of the page and screen.
Deadline reports Waititi has been hired by Fox/Disney to “crack” an animated Flash Gordon movie. There aren’t a ton of details about his role, but it’s suggested he may eventually write and direct the film about the handsome athlete who becomes an intergalactic hero for battling the evil Ming the Merciless. While the character was introduced way back in 1934, most people remember it for the silly 1980 movie that starred Sam Jones and Max von Sydow.
I guess this also drives a nail in the coffin of the live-action Flash Gordon movie that had Overlord director Julius Avery attached. Nothing was really going on with it, anyway.
Next up for Waititi is completing Jojo Rabbit, followed by the long-awaited Akira adaptation.
