Disney is famous for fiercely protecting its family-friendly reputation, which is why the studio often has no hesitation letting go of key talent who cause an unwanted sir online – e.g. Gina Carano or, temporarily, James Gunn. This situation’s a little different, though.
Marvel director Taika Waititi recently became the talk of Twitter when some paparazzi photos depicting him in a romantic moment with both actress Tessa Thompson and singer Rita Ora went viral. Obviously, this is Waititi’s private life and he’s just the victim of some unwanted attention from the press, but this revelation about what appears to be a polyamorous relationship between the three individuals has nonetheless ruffled a few feathers at Disney HQ.
The Daily Telegraph Australia is reporting that the studio has reprimanded Waititi over the racy photos coming to light. The specifics of this telling-off that the filmmaker received from Disney have yet to be revealed, so it’s unclear how much trouble he’s in. However, the outlet does note that this is “not exactly the image” the studio is looking to project in relation to one of their biggest franchises. It’s said that execs were always aware of the New Zealand native’s reputation as a “party animal,” but they feel this situation “cross[es] a line.”
The photos in question were snapped outside of Waititi’s home in Bondi, Australia and as we know, Thor: Love and Thunder is currently shooting down under, with Thompson reprising her role as Valkyrie from Thor: Ragnarok. Ora is likewise believed to be involved in the production in some capacity, probably in a brief cameo – much like Matt Damon, Melissa McCarthy and various other famous friends of his that Waititi’s managed to get involved.
Taika Waititi is arguably one of the most popular directors around at the moment – in terms of both public appreciation and industry acclaim – so something tells us that Disney will want to keep him on board despite any problems they might have with his private relationships being exposed like this. But as always, we’ll just need to wait and see how things play out here.
