Taika Waititi has gone from Asgard to fascist Germany. While the filmmaker has a slew of big-budget blockbusters in the works (Akira, a fourth Thor, Flash Gordon), his next project takes him back to his quirky indie roots. It’s called Jojo Rabbit, and as the newly revealed teaser trailer has showcased, it finds the writer/director also starring… as Hitler.
This isn’t the maniacal, murderous dictator of history, though, but a foolish figment formed in the imagination of a lonely child. Described by Waititi as an “anti-hate satire,” Jojo Rabbit centers on a German boy (Roman Griffin Davis) in the midst of World War II dealing with the loss of his father and his own existence in a country run by Nazis. When he discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is protecting a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) by secreting her away in the attic, he turns to his imaginary friend — Waititi’s Hitler — to help him make sense of the world.
It’s the sort of thing only a “visionistic” director like the guy behind What We Do in the Shadows might even attempt, and from the first preview, it looks like he’s nailed it. Check out the Jojo Rabbit trailer below.
From "Visionistical" director, Teeka Wachichi, here's a "teezer traylor", for my anti-hate satire, #JojoRabbit, in theaters October 18. @rebelwilson @alfieeallen #ThomasinMcKenzie #RomanGriffinDavis @stephenmerchant #samrockwell #scarlettjohansson @jojorabbitmovie #visionistical pic.twitter.com/8o8X8cyJTD
— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) July 23, 2019
Jojo Rabbit is set to premiere at a special presentation during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, set to kick off September 5th. It opens wide on October 18th. It also stars Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, and Stephen Merchant.