Taika Waititi Not Giving Up On ‘Akira’ & Finally Has A Story For His New ‘Star Wars’ Movie

Taika Waititi has been heavily in demand lately. One of his upcoming projects he’s attached to make is an original “Star Wars” feature film for Lucasfilm that he was originally announced to co-write with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917,” “Last Night In Soho“). Waititi previously earned a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his WWII dramedy “Jojo Rabbit.”

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While speaking in a lengthy interview with Wired to promote his role as the villain of “Free Guy,” Taika Waititi has confirmed he’s landed on a story for his “Star Wars” movie.

“We’ve got a story. I’m really excited by it because it feels very me,” Waititi told Wired on the status of the project.

That’s not all that much, obviously, but the director also added that he’d attempt to infuse personal touches, “I tend to go down that little sincerity alleyway in my films. I like to fool the viewer into thinking ‘ha, it’s this’ and then them going, ‘Damn it, you made me feel something!’” However, given how secretive Lucasfilm has been, we shouldn’t expect details anytime soon.

READ MORE: Taika Waititi Confirms ‘Thor’ Pushed ‘Akira’ To The Backburner & Isn’t Sure He’ll Direct The Anime Adaptation

We had thought that he walked away from the live-action “Akira” movie at Warner Bros. (in development for nearly twenty years), but revealed he’s still trying to make it proclaiming, “I don’t wanna give up that.”

“Akira” is a cyberpunk story that focuses on a Japanese biker gang in futuristic Neo-Tokyo that gets swept up in a covert government weapons program that sees one of their teenage gang members turned into a dangerous telepath. It’s considered the benchmark of anime filmmaking.

Taika Waititi had plans to adapt the hefty six-volume manga from Katsuhiro Otomo and cast Asian kids for the lead roles, this came after the studio seemed hellbent on whitewashing the project and setting in the United States in previous incarnations.

Always a fast and prodigious filmmaker, Waititi has finished his sports drama “Next Goal Wins” starring Michael Fassbender and Elizabeth Moss for Searchlight Pictures (release date TBD) and already wrapped filming on Marvel‘s Thor: Love & Thunder which will arrive in 2022.

“Star Wars” seems like his next project unless something bumps him up in the queue.

READ MORE: Taika Waititi’s ‘Flash Gordon’ Movie Shifts From Animation To Live-Action

Producer John Davis (“Predator“) also mentioned during a recent interview that Waititi’s animated “Flash Gordon” film at 20th Century Studios would be pivoting to live-action. A modern take on the swashbuckling sci-fi pulp hero that helped inspire George Lucas‘ Han Solo.