Everyone knows that Taika Waititi’s first entry in the Marvel canon, Thor: Ragnarok, is one of the best Marvel movies out there (and if you don’t, now you do). The film soared thanks to Taika Waititi’s signature sense of humor and zany sensibilities, but he almost missed out on the chance to helm the film. He saved himself by writing a script. A script to save him. Moanaballs of pure steel
Interview with James Corden hosts the Late Late ShowTaikia Waititi shared an amusing story about the time that he nearly missed a meeting to meet with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. And how he was saved when a errant colleague intervened. Moana script. How did it turn out? Waititi had apparently celebrated his birthday with his friends in Hawaii. His friends had also taken some of Waititi’s luggage back to New Zealand. The passport of the filmmaker was unfortunately in one these ill-fated bags. What’s a Kiwi stranded in Hawaii to do? Waititi recalled:
Not being American, you can’t travel domestically without some sort of American I.D. All I had was a New Zealand driver’s license. And if you’ve seen one of those, you know it looks like it comes out of a cornflakes box…[the customs agents]They laughed at me and said ‘What the hell is this?’I said, ‘That’s my I.D.’ And they said, ‘There’s no way you’re getting on this plane, mate. Have you got anything else?’
As someone who just Googled an image of a New Zealand driver’s license, I can confirm that they do indeed resemble a free voucher from a box of Fruit Loops. With his official-yet-useless New Zealand identification failing to make an impact, Taika Waititi dug through his things for a Hail Mary – and found it in the form of an old script he’d drafted for Disney’s Moana The House of Mouse had died. He then explained the next steps.
A bunch of them were now laughing at me and had started to gather around. I reached into my bag and found a contract in my bag. It was an old contract from Moana. I was the first Moana writer. I responded, ‘Look, all I’ve got is this.’ It’s from Disney, Marvel, all the same people, you know. I’m trustworthy. They were right to credit the guy who looked at it and said that he was trustworthy. ‘Hey, bro, you’Moana is still in development. Hey, we’re pretty excited about that. Get on that fucking plane.’
Taika Waititi was one of the lucky ones. He made it to Kevin Feige’s rendezvous, and then got the chance to direct. Thor: Ragnarok. While it might not have been completely legal, it was perfectly legal when a movie such as RagnarokThis is why no one seems to be too keen to spy on customs agents.
These customs workers may also be to our credit Thor: Love and ThunderThe film, directed by Taika Waititi, will also feature the title. The film will be filmed in Taika describes herself as ‘”crazy,” is expected to up the ante from the previous installment while also maintaining the same sense of fun that permeated its predecessor. So, customs workers at that specific airport, if you’We owe one to you for reading this.
Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder In theatersJuly 8. You can still catch up with the native New Zealander via streaming Thor: RagnarokWith your Disney+ subscription. You’ve already watched it fifty million times. You’re not alone. Keep your eyes peeled for these Marvel movies.