It’s just part of Hollywood that projects will be announced with a lot of fanfare and then fade away, with suspects both usual (scheduling conflicts, creative differences, budget concerns) and unusual (global pandemics, industry-wide strikes) to blame. But certain creators seem to attach their names to movies or TV shows that never materialize with greater frequency—including Taika Waititi.
His diverse career includes writing, directing, producing, and acting (Our Flag Means Death forever), and he already has an Oscar on his shelf. So it’s no surprise that he’s seemingly being pulled in a lot of different directions and moves on to new endeavors faster than most. But since his TBD list is full of things we’d actually like to see one day, here’s a reminder of the best sci-fi and fantasy stuff that’s on it.
Judge Dredd
News broke this week that Waititi is attached to helm a new live-action take on the violent comic book character, previously seen in movies made in 1995 (with Sylvester Stallone) and 2012 (with Karl Urban). The Hollywood Reporter noted there’s a script by Drew Pearce (Fall Guy; Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) but no studio attached yet. According to the trade, “sources say Pearce and Waititi both grew up with the books and are friends who have been trying to find a project to work on together for years.”
THR further notes that “the pitch is said to take inspiration more from the comics than the previous screen iterations, leaning into the world-building and dark humor,” which sounds great, though this detail does not: “The desire is to see the movie launch a Dredd universe that could be explored with additional movies and shows across various platforms.” Why though?
We’re Wolves
Probably just a fleeting dream at this point, given that this werewolf-focused sequel to What We Do in the Shadows (the movie) was being talked about before What We Do in the Shadows (the TV show) arrived. But the show ended late last year after six triumphant seasons, with many fans still wishing it could continue. Might We’re Wolves emerge from the darkness after all?
Akira
Just a few weeks ago, we learned that Warner Bros.’ long-teased Akira movie was being taken off the table. Waititi’s name was one of many bandied about to direct when it was still in play, and he certainly seemed enthusiastic—although in 2019 he explained he’d had to step back from it due to his Marvel commitments. But just because Warner Bros. isn’t going to tackle Akira doesn’t mean the manga adaptation won’t ever happen; another studio might well pick up the newly available rights. Maybe Waititi will circle back when and if that happens?
Flash Gordon
Picture it: summer, 2021. We received an intriguing update on the animated Flash Gordon movie Waititi had first teased in 2019. The game changed, and now it was going to be a live-action Flash Gordon movie! Even a few years later, it still seems like an ideal outlet for Waititi’s irreverent style and bombastic approach to superhero action, but so far there’s been no fresh momentum on this one.
The Incal
In late 2021, Waititi teased another fascinating project: an adaptation of The Incal, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean Giraud’s (aka Moebius) sci-fi masterpiece. “The films and graphic novels of Alejandro Jodorowsky have influenced me and so many others for so long,” Waititi told the Hollywood Reporter at the time. “I was stunned to be given the opportunity to bring his iconic characters to life.” We’re not mad at it either, other than the fact that it hasn’t happened yet.
Netflix Roald Dahl series
In 2020, io9 had cause to run a post with the headline “Oompa-Loompa Doom-Pa-Da-Dee-Tee, Get Pumped for Roald Dahl by Taika Waititi,” on the occasion of Waititi announcing two planned Netflix series set in the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Including one all about Oompa-Loompas! As we know, Netflix sunk a lot of dough into acquiring Dahl’s story catalog a few years back, but hasn’t done terribly much with the IP since; in the meantime, the Timothée Chalamet-starring Wonka movie, whose conception pre-dated the Netflix acquisition, sort of took over the cultural conversation on magical chocolate factories. Still, the streamer is still holding onto Dahl, so maybe Waititi will return to this one eventually.
Star Wars
This one’s a whole galaxy bigger than just Waititi, because pinning down Lucasfilm’s future big-screen plans has been no easy task since the sequel trilogy ended. But amid the sure things (The Mandalorian and Grogu, Ryan Gosling’s Starfighter) and the handful of projects that seem to still be on track (like James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” movie), Waititi’s long-teased Star Wars movie, which would reunite The Mandalorian season one star with the franchise, is one that’s never been ruled out. We still have no idea if it will happen, though.
Which percolating Taika Waititi projects are you hoping actually materialize? Do you think Judge Dredd will move forward, or will it join these other titles in Waititi limbo? And will he ever make his Star Wars movie?
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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