A Starter Kit for Taika Waititi's Movies, Shows, and Paparazzi Photos

The Kiwi director has a lot more to his name than a couple Thor movies.

Since breaking onto the conniption a footling over a decade ago , New Zealand music director Taika Waititi has taken Hollywood and at least one of its major franchise by tempest , injecting his unforgettable , inimitable brand of dry temper and heartfelt storytelling into both plastic film and telecasting . Even if you ’ve never seen anything he ’s been a part of ( and , in reality , you in all probability have ) , you ’ve hear his name , whether it ’s associated with a couple of Kiwi indies that had improbably great success here in the States , or with a sure God of Thunder .

His celebrated career has already had its ploughshare of some substantial misfire ( Holocaust - set satireJojo Rabbitand , look on your milage , Thor : Love and Thunder ) , and his less - than - great recent tally has make more than a few fans to begin to sour on him , but it ’s baffling to overshadow the immensity of the director ’s ripe projects . With Waititi sign on to aStar Warsmovie , aTime BanditsTV show , and an adaptation of Moebius and Alejandro Jodorowsky ’s mind - bending comic seriesThe Incal , we cypher it ’s time to give everyone who does n’t already know him and crash - course of his superlative hits .

Flight of the Conchords(2007)

Before moving to films , Waititi bopped around the New Zealand video industry for a few years , take a few short - running serial and guest - directing four episode of HBO’sFlight of the Conchords , which star Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement ( a succeeding collaborationist of Waititi ’s ) as novelize , heightened versions of themselves as vocaliser - songwriter sample to make it . Conchordswas also co - created by James Bobin , who is credited with create Sacha Baron Cohen ’s characters Ali G , Borat , and Brüno , which should give you some sense of the comedy pedigrees Waititi was working alongside even this other in his career .

Boy(2010)

Waititi ’s second feature of speech was his first to break semi - vainglorious oversea , first on the fete electrical circuit , and then in its US firing . The film about a young boy name , simply , Boy ( James Rolleston ) , who run into his estranged forefather ( Waititi ) who really wants nothing much to do with him , is probably the most tonally and stylistically subjugate project in Waititi ’s oeuvre — but that does n’t mean that there were n’t news bulletin of the wry and bombastic film maker he would presently become just underneath the open .

What We Do in the Shadows(2014)

The first monumental hit for Waititi come withWhat We Do in the Shadows(a boast version of his previous short circuit , What We Do in the Shadows : Interviews with Some Vampires ) , a mockumentary - fashion celluloid that follow a crew of vampire ( Jemaine Clement , Jonathan Brugh , and Waititi ) sharing a flat in modern - day Wellington , New Zealand and doing their good to " fuse in " with society . It ’s absolutely hysteric , and , for a few twelvemonth , became The Thing that Waititi was known for . Plus , it was pop enough that it got its ownspinoff television system serial publication on FX , which follows a interchangeable data format with all novel case . ( It ’s also the flash point of Waititi and Clement ’s friendly beef : every metre an outlet credits Waititi for the show , he alwaysneedles Clement , who is really credited as the series God Almighty ) .

Hunt for the Wilderpeople(2016)

aright before he was tapped for the Marvel movie that would cement his place on the map , Waititi directedHunt for the Wilderpeople , a sort of successor toBoyin that it , too , is about a young male child searching for a loath father figure — thoughWilderpeopleis a lot more stylistically sheer . Starring Julian Dennison as Ricky Baker and Sam Neill as his surrogate uncle Hec , the film follows the two improbable comrades as they seek refuge in the New Zealand bush from the interior manhunt that has been call after their disappearing . This movie in fussy is a showcase for Waititi ’s talent for expertly pinging back and off from intensely sad to unbelievably funny , a touch style that ’s all his own .

Thor: Ragnarok(2017)

If you ’re here , you probably already cognize about this one , but it ’s important ! Marvel ’s third Thor moving-picture show was nothing less than a cultural reset for the enfranchisement , as Waititi fetch his style and humor to reinvigorate a superhero whose solo picture show had been some of the less hump in the MCU.Ragnarokis hysterically funny , take the trappings of a ego - serious Norse god and remixing them into a beefy intergalactic dudebro who loves sire into brawl as much as he hates taking any responsibleness for himself . Thor was always risible , but Waititi made him screaming , and the rest of Marvel ’s series followed suit after the glowing reaction from both the critics and the fans .

Wellington Paranormal(2018–2022) andReservation Dogs(2021– )

In the ensuing yr , Waititi has often contribute his product talents to a turn of projects , including hilariousWhat We Do in the ShadowsspinoffWellington Paranormal , a police proceduralX - Filesspoof about a duo of New Zealand pig who keep finding themselves embroiled in supernatural criminal offence ; andReservation Dogs , co - created by Sterlin Harjo , a comedy drama following four stripling living in the American Indigenous community of rural Oklahoma and starring a bulk Indigenous cast and creative squad ( Waititi himself is part Māori , the indigenous community of New Zealand ) . Both are groundbreaking in their own right : Wellington Paranormaloffering an off - kelter humor to the current television sphere , andReservation Dogsproviding admittance and internal representation for what is still one of our country ’s most underrepresented residential district .

Acting roles

If you find like you ’ve been seeing Waititi everywhere , even if you have n’t continue up with his directorial oeuvre , you ’d be good . The man works heavily ( arguably too hard , if you look at the consuming lineup of his directing and producing projection that have been announced or are already in production ) , and when he ’s not direct or writing or producing , he splash around around with acting . He casts himself in his own stuff all the time ( Korg in theThormovies , Viago inWhat We Do in the Shadows , Adolf Hitler ( yikes ) inJojo Rabbit ) , but is also called upon by other directors to add his theme song sardonic humor to more projects . He voice the droid IG-11 inThe Mandalorian , act the megalomaniac technical school bro villain inFree Guy , had a cameo inThe Suicide Squadas the original Ratcatcher . Most late , appeared as Mo Morrison , one of the unlikely sidekicks in Disney’sToy StoryspinoffLightyear .

The pap photos (2021)

During some downtime from shootingThor : Love and Thunderin 2021 , Waititi was spot cozying up with his girlfriend Rita Ora andThorstar Tessa Thompson at his house in Sydney , set up the cyberspace utterly on fire . After the initial photos were blast around the human beings at lightning speed , Waititi was unfazed , distinguish theSydney Morning Herald , " I think in the domain of the internet , everything give-up the ghost forth middling quick . And also , is it that big a deal ? No , not really . I was doing nothing awry . It ’s fine . " possibly the most interesting part of it all is that there was n’t any malicious gossip — or possibly that the only ground it was such a big slew was because by that point , we ’d all been lock inside our home for a whole calendar year .

Our Flag Means Death(2022)

Waititi is no stranger to sleeper hits , and the HBO seriesOur Flag mean Death , a comedy lampoon set aboard a pirate ship captained by the worst sea robber of all clip , seemingly came out of nowhere , gathering together a rabid fanbase in mere weeks . Upon its waiver , those who were skeptical were tell to keep sticking with the serial publication as it gets skilful in its back one-half , once an genuine will - they - won’t - they love story develops between pirate police chief Stede Bonnet ( Rhys Darby ) and his nemesis Blackbeard ( Waititi , who mainly act in this series after also directing the pilot ) . Unexpected ? Sure . But that ’s the variety of thing we ’ve come to expect from any projection involve Waititi and his sneaky mother wit of humor .

what we do in the shadows movie