Taika Waititi can't wait to 'piss off a lot of racists' with Jojo Rabbit film

  • 01/06/2018
Taika Waititi can't wait to 'piss off a lot of racists' with Jojo Rabbit film
Photo credit: Getty

Production has begun on Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit and the Kiwi filmmaker is thrilled about the controversy the "anti-war satire" will likely stir up.

"I couldn't be more excited to finally ridicule Nazis and their beliefs," he said in a statement announcing filming had started in Prague.

"This film is going to piss off a lot of racists and that makes me very happy."

Jojo Rabbit  sees a young German boy find comfort and companionship in his imaginary friend, who happens to be Hitler (played by Waititi).

"[The boy's] naïve patriotism is tested when he meets a young girl who upends his world views, forcing him to face his biggest fears," said Waititi.

"We've assembled an incredible cast," the Thor: Ragnarok director said, referring to the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Rebel Wilson.

Waititi has been vocal about racism in the past, including in his home country, New Zealand.

In an interview with Dazed and Confused, he called New Zealand "racist as f**k", citing the intentional mispronunciation of Māori names as an example.

Now, Waititi will be bringing his unique brand of dark comedy to the story of the Nazi regime, which is especially significant in part because of his Jewish heritage.

Earlier in his career, the actor and filmmaker sometimes used his Jewish mother's maiden name Cohen as his surname.

Newshub.