Despite being an Academy Award-winning filmmaker with a litany of critically-acclaimed film and television projects under his belt, one opinion-splitting Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster was all it took the tides to turn against Taika Waititi.
In fairness, Thor: Love and Thunder was a massive step down from its predecessor – which comfortably ranks as one of the superhero franchise’s finest installments – but it didn’t take long for the consensus to reach the conclusion that they don’t want him anywhere near any world-renowned IP, with Star Wars proving a particular bone of contention.
In good news for his haters, then, Waititi’s next project will see him returning to his small scale independent roots, with sports comedy Next Goal Wins penciled in for a November release after spending three years dealing with the pandemic, reshoots, recastings, and multiple delays. Leaning into his newfound reputation, he’s even decided to get in on the act by roasting himself.
The recently-released first trailer touts Next Goal Wins as hailing from Taika Waititi, billed as “Loser of the Best Picture Academy Award for Jojo Rabbit,” and “Loser of the Teen Choice Award for Thor: Ragnarok.” Not only does it fit the film’s story of trying to whip the world’s worst soccer team into shape, but it’s perfectly in keeping with the director’s signature style of offbeat humor, because he’ll be fully aware he’s not the most popular figure among either the Marvel or Star Wars fandoms at the moment.
November is right in the thick of the awards season conversation, too, so let’s see if Next Goal Wins proves to be a winner.
