Taika Waititi’s next movie delayed until four years after shooting, but it still might be an Oscar contender

To say the world has changed drastically since Taika Waititi first called action on sports comedy Next Goal Wins would be an understatement, a sentiment that applies to both the filmmaker and a certain member of his original cast as well.

The biographical tale that’s no doubt sure to have a signature Waititi twist follows the fortunes of Michael Fassbender’s Dutch-American soccer coach Thomas Rongen, who gets handed the insurmountable task of heading up the American Samoa national team, who’d cultivated a reputation for being one of the worst on the planet.

Cameras started rolling in November of 2019, but after the latest in a long line of delays, Next Goal Wins isn’t coming to theaters until November of this year. In between those two points, Waititi saw his stock take a hit in the eyes of the online community after the crushing disappointment of Thor: Love and Thunder, to the extent that nobody wants him anywhere near Star Wars.

Meanwhile, Armie Hammer was dropped from the ensemble two years after the end of principal photography to be replaced by Will Arnett, which was a wise move for a number of reasons. However, the fact studio Searchlight has kicked Next Goal Wins back to a prime November release date potentially puts it right in the thick of the awards season conversation.

Let’s not forget Waititi already has an Oscar under his belt, and his dramatic comedies have generally found widespread critical acclaim, so he could be preparing to shut his Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars doubters up for good.