Taika Waititi ‘Couldn’t Be More Opposite’ of Another Notable Superhero Movie Director
Taika Waititi has repeatedly proven that he can combine comedy and superheroes to deliver an outstanding cinematic experience. His upbeat personality and charm have made him an eccentric filmmaker and storyteller, setting him apart from others in the industry. Waititi recently said he couldn’t be more opposite of another notable superhero movie director.
How Taika Waititi is different from another director of superhero movies
Taika Waititi’s career as a director began in 2007 when he directed Eagle vs Shark. However, he caught mainstream media attention with his mockumentary flick What We Do in The Shadows, which later became a successful FX series. Since then, Waititi joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, helming two Thor films, along with Oscar-winning fare like Jojo Rabbit. Obviously, he’s been busy.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan is known as one of the most popular and hardest-working directors in entertainment. His films have grossed more than $5 billion at the box office. Nolan is also credited with revitalizing the superhero genre with the Dark Knight trilogy.
In an interview with IMDb for Lightyear, Waititi appropriately talked about superpowers. “Taika’s superpower is the ability to nap everywhere.” He then compared himself to Nolan. “You know, Chris Nolan never sits down on set,” he joked. “I couldn’t be more opposite. I would sleep my way through an entire shoot if I could.”
Taika Waititi’s involvement in the MCU
Waititi already had an extensive directorial catalog when he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2017. The star made his MCU debut in 2017 when he helmed Thor: Ragnarok. He also starred in the movie as Korg.
His involvement in the film turned the Thor franchise around. Waititi added humor to the character and the movie in general, leading to Ragnarok receiving stellar scores and critical acclaim.
The filmmaker allowed the actors to ad-lib their lines, thus breaking away from the rigidity of many scripts and superhero films, like Nolan’s. Ragnarok was Waititi’s first major studio film and grossed $854 million against a $180m budget.
Given his success, Marvel chose to keep Waititi around. He consulted on Avengers: Infinity War with Thor’s storylines so the writers could maintain the character’s consistency in the MCU. He then returned for his second Marvel flick, Thor: Love and Thunder, released in July 2022.
Waititi has a tradition when he starts a project
Not only is Waititi creating successful movies with his lax attitude, but he also cultivates positive on-set traditions. After wrapping Love and Thunder, he began working on the romantic comedy Our Flag Means Death. In addition to directing the show’s pilot episode and played Blackbeard/ Edward Teach.
When promoting the show on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Waititi shared that he usually celebrates starting a project by inviting the native people of the area they are filming to an opening ceremony. “It’s a really nice way of beginning any production, and it creates a really lovely vibe and kind of peaceful and clean and good energy to have while you’re shooting,” he said. Between naps and parties, it sounds like a Taika Waititi set is a fun place to be
