Taika Waititi is having a moment. The New Zealand native released easily one of — if not the most — delightful film of 2016, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, and will be taking his offbeat charm to the Marvel universe with this year’s Thor: Ragnarok. Waititi has a knack for taking very weird concepts (If you haven’t seen What We Do In The Shadows, do so immediately. You’re welcome.) and filling them with humor and heart, so fans have been curious to see what project he will pick up next. Will he stick with his indie roots or make the permanent leap to giant action epics? For the look of things, it’s the former, as Deadline announced that Waititi has signed onto Bubbles, a film about Michael Jackson’s pet chimpanzee, alongside Mark Gustafson.
The film will be done in Anomalisa style claymation with Dan Harmon’s Starburns Industries, which is where Gustafson, who worked on films like Fantastic Mr. Fox, comes in. While he is a Michael Jackson fan, Waititi makes it clear that he is not making a straightforward biopic (obviously).
“It’s an idea that fascinates me and one I want to develop further. Most people know I’m a huge Michael Jackson fan, so the main thing for me is to make sure it’s respectful of him and his legacy. I’m not interested in making a biopic; I want to focus on telling a story that blends fact and fantasy, about an animal trying to make sense of the world. This film is not about Michael Jackson because that’s not a story for me to tell — or a story I’d be comfortable telling — it’s about a chimpanzee’s fascinating journey through the complex jungle of human life.”
Waititi also makes it clear that this particular form of stop motion animation is the ideal medium to tell such a strange and unique story.
“I think animation is the only way to approach a story like this. I really loved Anomalisa because it was beautiful and authentic in its meditation on loneliness. I’m really excited to be working with Dan Harmon and Starburns as we share similar sensibilities and want to tell human stories in unique and artistic ways.”
Honestly, this film can’t come out soon enough. In a cinematic climate of reboots, sequels, and retreads, this sounds like a real breath of fresh air.
(Via Deadline)
