In his ongoing quest to become the busiest filmmaker in Hollywood,Taika Waititiis adding one more project to his immediate to-do list—but this one’s just too good to pass up. As reported byDiscussing Filmand confirmed by theTulsa World, theThor: Ragnarokdirector will co-write, executive produce, and direct the pilot for an upcoming FX limited series calledReservation Dogs. The show was created bySterlin Harjo, who will also write and executive produce the series which follows four teenagers in a Native American housing project in Oklahoma who commit petty crimes and fight crimes. The series will shoot in Oklahoma.
Harjo—who is of Seminole/Creek Indian decent—is the Oklahoma-born filmmaker behind the featuresFour Sheets to the Wind,Barking Water, andMekko, and this marks his most high-profile project yet. Confirming the news to the Tulsa World, Harjo noted that Waititi helped co-create the series:
“It’s happening, and Taika (Waititi) and I created it, and it’s going to film in Oklahoma which is cool, and that’s really all I can say about it right now.”
After making waves with films likeWhat We Do in the ShadowsandHunt for the Wilderpeople, Waititi hit big with his radical Marvel filmThor: Ragnarok. He immediately moved into making an “anti-hate satire” for Fox Searchlight calledJojo Rabbit, in which he also stars as an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler. That movie has proved to be a hit on the fall film festival circuit and is currently expanding into more theaters as it makes its way towards potential Oscar glory.
This isn’t Waititi’s first time venturing into the realm of television, as he directed three episodes of the FX series adaptation ofWhat We Do in the Shadowsand helmed an episode of the Disney+Star WarsseriesThe Mandalorian.
Waititi is returning to write and direct the nextThorfilm,Thor: Love and Thunder, but before that starts production next year he’s squeezing in one more smaller scale movie inNext Goal Wins. And now he’s due to shoot the pilot forReservation Dogs, with production aiming to get underway in February. Last we heard,Thor 4is on trackto start filming in Australia in March 2020, but it’s possible that date has been pushed back a bit—which would explain how Waititi is able to squeeze inReservation Dogs. Or maybe not. Maybe Taika really is a real-life superhero and will continue churning out incredible stories on an insane schedule.
Whatever the case, as an Okie myself I can’t wait to see the fruits of Waititi and Harjo’s collaboration here.
