Colby J Smith
Taika Waititi has taken to Instagram to take a joking stab at the fanboy internet rage that seems to follow Star Wars wherever it goes.
The original trilogy has a special place in the hearts of many fans who grew up with the films, and the same applies to the sequels, prequels and whole new generations of fans. With every new release in the series so too comes the cries of ruined childhoods and destroyed nostalgia, and Waititi has weighed into the debate with his trademark humour.
The New Zealand born oscar-winning director, who had his first foray into the franchise directing and voice acting in The Mandalorian, posted a screenshot from the official Star Wars Twitter account announcing that his project is underway, with the caption reading, ‘What?? Ugh, as a longtime fan of Star Wars I’m so angry about what I’m about to do to ruin it.’
Although Waititi’s dig is clearly intended to be light-hearted, online abuse is often launched at members of the cast and crew of films that are deemed to have not lived up to the expectations of passionate fans, with Rian Johnson coming under heavy fire and The Last Jedi actor Kelly Marie Tran taking to the New York Times to write an op-ed about her experiences of online racism and sexism.
Waititi was confirmed as the director of an upcoming Star Wars theatrical release back in May and although the details about his project are still in the shadows, a few subtle clues were dropped at Disney’s investor day event last week.
A new design for the Star Wars logo appeared behind Disney president Kathleen Kennedy as she talked about the product. The crumbling stone logo is a clear nod to the 1959 religious epic Ben-Hur. What this symbolises is unclear but fans are quick to conclude that Waititi’s film is to be set thousands of years before the events of A New Hope, and will tell the story of the early days of the Jedi religion.
