Line #50 Creator/TaikaWaititi


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taika_waititi.JPG]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:A vintage dickhead.]]
3
4	->''"I constantly remind myself that there are terrible movies out there. I try to watch them, some of them, to give myself an understanding of what not to do."''
5
6	Taika David Cohen [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever ONZM]] (born 16 August 1975), also known as Taika Waititi (this surname belonging to his father and being adopted by Taika professionally), is a director, actor, producer, and screenwriter from UsefulNotes/NewZealand. He is of Māori (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) and Russian Jewish heritage.
7
8	Graduating from Victoria University in Wellington, he originally worked primarily as a comedian and actor, and was one half of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts with Creator/JemaineClement. He also acted in local low-budget films and TV series, and in 2011 played a supporting role in the superhero film ''[[Film/GreenLantern2011 Green Lantern]]'' before later turning his full focus to directing and writing.
9
10	As a director, original works he's best known for include ''Film/WhatWeDoInTheShadows'' (which he wrote and directed alongside Jermaine Clement), ''Film/HuntForTheWilderpeople'', and ''Film/JojoRabbit'', all of which he appears in as an actor. He also wrote the initial screenplay of ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' and has become a noted player in several big franchises, namely the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse (directing the [[Film/ThorRagnarok third]] and [[Film/ThorLoveAndThunder fourth]] [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] films) and ''Franchise/StarWars'' (directing an episode for ''Series/TheMandalorian'', voicing the character IG-11 on the show, and currently being attached to write and direct a live-action film for the franchise).
11
12	He is also attached to various upcoming works, including a LiveActionAdaptation[=/=]ForeignRemake of ''Manga/{{Akira}}'', two animated series for Creator/{{Netflix}} based on Creator/RoaldDahl's ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and [[Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator its sequel]], a film adaptation of ''ComicBook/TheIncal'', and a ComicStrip/FlashGordon film.
13
14	Waititi has won an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward, a [[UsefulNotes/{{BAFTA}} British Academy Film Award]], a UsefulNotes/GrammyAward, and a Writers Guild of America Award (all of them for ''Jojo Rabbit'').
15
16	He has accounts on [[https://twitter.com/TaikaWaititi Twitter]], [[https://www.instagram.com/taikawaititi Instagram]] and [[https://www.facebook.com/taika.waititi Facebook]].
17	----
18	!! Selected filmography:
19	!!! [ '''D''' = Director; '''W''' = Writer; '''P''' = Producer; '''A''' = Actor ]
20
21	* ''Film/TwoCarsOneNight'' (2003) [[superscript:DW]] [[note]]UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Live Action Short Film.[[/note]]
22	* ''Film/EagleVsShark'' (2007) as Gordon [[superscript:DWA]]
23	* ''[[Film/Boy2010 Boy]]'' (2010) as Alamein [[superscript:DWA]]
24	* ''Film/{{Green Lantern\|2011}}'' (2011) as Thomas Kalmaku [[superscript:A]]
25	* ''Film/WhatWeDoInTheShadows'' (2014) as Viago [[superscript:DWPA]] [[note]]co-written & co-directed with Jemaine Clement[[/note]]
26	* ''Film/HuntForTheWilderpeople'' (2016) as Minister [[superscript:DWPA]]
27	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' (2016) [[superscript:W*]] [[note]]initial screenplay; uncredited, but he is among the "Special Thanks" list. He also campaigned, along with Jemaine Clement, to translate the movie's soundtrack into the Maori language.[[/note]]
28	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse (2017 — present) as various characters & filmmaker:
29	** ''Film/{{Doctor Strange\|2016}}'' (2016) [[superscript:DW*]] [[note]] mid-credits scene; uncredited[[/note]]
30	** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' (2017) as Korg (voice and motion capture) and Surtur (motion capture) [[superscript:DA]]
31	** ''WebVideo/TeamThor'' (2016 -- 2018) [[superscript:DWP]]
32	** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' (2019) as Korg (voice and motion capture) [[superscript:A]] [[note]]also uncredited production consultant[[/note]]
33	** ''[[WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021 What If...?]]'' (2021) as Korg (voice) [[superscript:A]]
34	** ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'' (2022) as Korg (voice and motion capture) [[superscript:DWA]]
35	* ''Film/JojoRabbit'' (2019) as Imaginary UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler [[superscript:DWPA]]
36	* ''Series/{{What We Do in the Shadows\|2019}}'' (2019 — present) as Viago [[superscript:DPA]]
37	* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' (2019) as IG-11 (voice) & director [[note]]episode:[[Recap/TheMandalorianS1E8Chapter8Redemption "Chapter 8: Redemption"]][[/note]] [[superscript:DA]]
38	* ''Series/HomeMovieThePrincessBride'' (2020) as Westley [[superscript:A]]
39	* ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'' (2021) as Ratcatcher 1 [[superscript:A]]
40	* ''Film/FreeGuy'' (2021) as Antwan [[superscript:A]]
41	* ''Series/ReservationDogs'' (2021) [[superscript:WP]] [[note]]co-written with Sterlin Harjo[[/note]]
42	* ''Film/TheElectricalLifeOfLouisWain'' (2021) as Max Kase [[superscript:A]]
43	* ''Series/OurFlagMeansDeath'' (2022) as UsefulNotes/{{Blackbeard}} [[superscript:DPA]]
44	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Lightyear}}'' (2022) as Mo Morrison (voice) [[superscript:A]]
45	* ''Series/HistoryOfTheWorldPartII'' (2023) [[superscript:A]]
46	* ''Film/{{Next Goal Wins\|2023}}'' (2023) [[superscript:DWP]] [[note]]co-written with Iain Morris[[/note]]
47
48	!!Tropes associated with Taika Waititi's work include:
49	* AwesomeDearBoy: This is the reason he wanted to direct ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', he has been a [[PromotedFanboy comics fan since he was a child]] and relished the idea of directing a superhero film. Creator/CateBlanchett is also on record as saying one of the biggest reasons that ''she'' signed on for ''Ragnarok'' was so that she could be directed by Waititi, being a huge admirer of his previous work.
50	* {{Bathos}}: Most of the works in his filmography use this heavily, having some very serious and dramatic themes but pairing that with absurdist comedy.
51	* BlackComedy: A common component of his films, especially ''Film/WhatWeDoInTheShadows'' which is a {{mockumentary}} about vampires living in a domestic modern setting.
52	* CastingGag: Has the honor of sharing two comic book-based roles with veteran voice actor, Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson.
53	* CreatorCameo: As a trained actor, he has played small roles in a majority of his films.
54	* {{Mockumentary}}: Used in ''Series/FlightOfTheConchords'', ''Film/WhatWeDoInTheShadows'' and the comedic ''WebVideo/TeamThor'' shorts he directed to show what Thor (and Bruce Banner) were up to in the run-up to ''Film/ThorRagnarok''.
55	* MoneyDearBoy: In November 2023, Waititi admitted he took on the directing role for the ''Thor'' films because he had children to feed. He said it wasn't on his plan for his career as an auteur director.
56	* OldShame: He simply asked for a tumbleweed emoji when someone on Twitter asked him about his experience on ''Film/GreenLantern2011'', and later joked that ''Film/FreeGuy'' [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial was the very first time that he got to work with]] Creator/RyanReynolds.
57	* ProductionPosse: Has directed Creator/RachelHouse in four different films.
58	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: His films definitely lean more towards the idealistic side of the scale, they may deal with serious themes but they usually do so with humor, pathos, and plenty of heartwarming moments.
59	* ThoseTwoActors: He has co-starred alongside Creator/RhysDarby in ''Series/{{Radiradirah}}'', ''Film/WhatWeDoInTheShadows'', ''Film/HuntForTheWilderpeople'' and ''Series/OurFlagMeansDeath''.
60	* TrollingCreator:
61	** He comes off this for some Creator/MarvelComics purists in regard to his MCU contributions. He went as far as saying he barely opened a single ''[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Mighty Thor]]'' comic book and decided to make ''Thor: Ragnarok'' without taking any inspiration from it, and that the film was "written by a 6-year-old". Then a couple of years later he trolled further by pretending ''Thor: Love & Thunder'' has been written by a ''7'' year old.
62	** As for his ''Franchise/StarWars'' project, he allegedly asked Creator/NataliePortman to play a role in it, allegedly not knowing she was Padmé Amidala in the Prequel Trilogy. Many fans find it hard to believe that he didn't know about this fact. Later, he said that this project was "gonna piss people off".

Context Creator / TaikaWaititi