Taika Waititi sheds light on the future of his career, and where his Star Wars, Akira, and Flash Gordon projects sit within his plans. The director is known for his work on movies such as What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Jojo Rabbit, which strike a careful balance between hilarity and darker, more emotionally complex topics. Waititi is also known for how he impacted the Thor sub-series in the MCU with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok and 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder.

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While promoting his latest project, Interior Chinatown (for which he directed an episode and produced), Waititi was asked by The Playlist‘s Bingeworthy podcast about what project will take priority next. While the director has been signed on to develop a Flash Gordon reboot, a live-action adaptation of Akira, and an original Star Wars movie, Waititi jokingly responded by questioning whether each production is dead or not after silence on each front. He said:

What was ever alive? What is death? You know, death is just a new opportunity. More life to grow and flourish.
Everything’s always in development.
My advice for any filmmaker is, ‘Just say yes to everything.’ Because, you know, things come and go. And you never know what stage things are. And I’ve been attached to things that have disappeared for three years and then bubbled back up. I’m like, ‘Oh, I thought that thing was dead. Now I’ve got to go do that again.

What Waititi’s Response Means For Akira, Flash Gordon, And Star Wars

Studio Indecision May Be Responsible For Each Delay

Though Waititi may have a packed backlog, the director has not held back on taking on and completing new projects. Alongside producing duties on titles such as Interior Chinatown and the TV version of What We Do in the Shadows, he has also had several acting roles in Our Flag Means Death, Free Guy, and The Suicide Squad. Waititi is also currently working on his next feature with Klara and the Sun, which began filming in early 2024.

As such, beyond his packed schedule, Waititi’s comments could indicate that the issue lies with the studios. Akira is a project that has shifted through several directors already, Flash Gordon has been altered from an animated project to a live-action feature, and Lucasfilm has become notoriously wary about how to proceed with future Star Wars movies, with several projects languishing in early pre-production. With this, it is likely the studios behind the productions are facing various conflicts over how to proceed, and Waititi’s own shifting priorities have only added to the delays.

Our Take On Waititi’s Response

The Director’s Response Shines Light On The Industry

Though Waititi’s response may not have offered a clear answer to the state of either of the three projects, it is clear that he isn’t worried about any of them. Not only has he been active in several roles across numerous projects since, but he has both signed onto and completed several productions of his own while development on Akira, Star Wars, and Flash Gordon has stretched on. It seems he is more than used to the scenario.

Furthermore, Waititi’s response does hint that despite long periods of inactivity, he is still eager to return to each project once they make significant headway into the next stage of production. While no firm timelines may have been given, it may not be unsurprising to see Waititi among those involved once each production picks up steam. The director/writer/actor is open to whatever happens.

Source: The Playlist