Taika Waititi - Wikipedia Taika Waititi Taika Waititi Waititi at the 2017 San Diego Comic - Con Taika David Waititi ( 1975 - 08 - 16 ) 16 August 1975 ( age 42 ) Wellington, New Zealand Alma mater Victoria University of Wellington Occupation Film director, screenwriter and comedian Years active 1999 - present Known for Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor : Ragnarok Spouse ( s ) Chelsea Winstanley Taika David Waititi ( / ˈtaɪkə waɪˈtiːti / ( listen ) ; born 16 August 1975 ), also known as Taika Cohen, is a New Zealand film director, writer, actor, painter and comedian. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2004 short film Two Cars, One Night. His feature films Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople became the top grossing New Zealand films. His horror comedy film What We Do in the Shadows also received critical acclaim. Waititi 's first major Hollywood film, Marvel Studios ' Thor : Ragnarok, is scheduled for release on 3 November 2017. Contents 1 Background 2 Career 2.1 Comedy and acting work 2.2 Filmmaking 3 Filmography 3.1 Film 3.2 Television 3.3 Frequent collaborators 3.4 Music videos 3.5 Commercials 4 Reception 4.1 Critical reception 4.2 Box office performance 5 Personal life 6 References 7 External links Background Waititi hails from the Raukokore area of the East Coast region of the North Island of New Zealand, and grew up there and in Wellington, going to Onslow College in his teen years. His father is Māori of Te Whānau - ā - Apanui and his mother is of Russian Jewish heritage. Waititi has used his mother 's surname, `` Cohen, '' for some of his work in film and writing. Career Taika Waititi speaking at 2015 Sundance Film Festival Comedy and acting work While a drama student at Victoria University of Wellington, Waititi was part of the five - member ensemble So You 're a Man, which toured New Zealand and Australia with some success. He was one half of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts alongside Jemaine Clement -- recipients of New Zealand 's highest comedy accolade, the Billy T Award, in 1999. In the same period Waititi began acting on screen. He won a local film award for his work as one of the students in successful low - budget Dunedin film Scarfies, and had smaller roles in road movie Snakeskin and TV series The Strip. After a number of years where he concentrated on directing, Waititi played Thomas Kalmaku in 2011 superhero film Green Lantern, and took large roles in two of his own films : 2010 's Boy, and 2013 's What We Do in the Shadows, which he co-directed and co-wrote with Jemaine Clement. He also plays Korg via motion capture in his film Thor : Ragnarok. Filmmaking Among a variety of artistic interests, Waititi began making comical short films for New Zealand 's annual 48 - hour film contest. In 2005 his short film Two Cars, One Night earned him an Academy Award nomination. At the awards ceremony, he famously feigned falling asleep as the nominations were being read out. His first feature film, oddball romantic comedy Eagle vs Shark, was released in U.S. theatres for limited distribution in 2007. The film stars Waititi 's then real - life partner, Loren Horsley, as Lily. The same year, Waititi wrote and directed one episode of the TV show Flight of the Conchords and was director of another. His second feature, Boy, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010, and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Waititi also took one of the main roles, as the ex-con father who returns to his family. On its release in New Zealand, Boy received enthusiastic reviews and was successful at the local box office, eclipsing several records. After the success of Boy, Waititi hoped that the film 's signature track `` Poi E '' would get to number one ( for the second time ) on the New Zealand charts. The song reached number three, but got to number one on iTunes. In 2011, Waititi directed New Zealand TV series Super City starring Madeleine Sami, who plays five characters living in one city. In 2013, Waititi co-wrote and co-directed vampire comedy mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows with friend and fellow comedian Jemaine Clement. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014. Waititi and Clement played members of a group of vampires who live in modern - day Wellington. Waititi 's fourth feature, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. When it was released back in New Zealand, the comedy adventure broke records for a New Zealand film in its opening weekend. Based on a book by the late Barry Crump, the film centres around a young boy and a grumpy man ( played by Sam Neill ) on the run in the forest. Waititi wrote the initial screenplay for the 2016 Disney film Moana, which focused on gender and family. Those elements were passed over in favour of what would become the finalized story. In 2017, Waititi won the award for New Zealander of the Year, but was unable to receive it in person due to work commitments. Waititi directed his first major Hollywood film, Marvel Studios ' Thor : Ragnarok, which is scheduled for release on 3 November 2017. Waititi will be collaborating with Mark Gustafson to direct the upcoming stop - motion animated film Bubbles, which is about the life of Michael Jackson seen in the perspective of his pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. Filmography Film Year Film Credited as Director Producer Screenwriter Actor Notes 1999 Scarfies No No No Yes Role : Alex 2001 Snakeskin No No No Yes Role : Nelson 2001 A New Way Home No No No Yes Short film, Role : Max 2002 John and Pogo Yes No Yes No Short film 2003 Two Cars, One Night Yes No Yes No Short film Tama Tu Yes No Yes No Short film Futile Attraction No No No Yes Role : Waiter 2005 What We Do in the Shadows : Interviews with some Vampires Yes No Yes Yes Short film, the basis for the later Feature Film Mockumentary 2007 Eagle vs Shark Yes No Yes Yes Boy Yes No Yes Yes Role : Alamein 2011 Green Lantern No No No Yes Role : Thomas Kalmaku 2013 The Captain No No No Yes Short Film Directed by Nash Edgerton and Spencer Susser Role : The Captain 2014 What We Do in the Shadows Yes Yes Yes Yes Role : Viago 2016 Hunt for the Wilderpeople Yes Yes Yes Yes Role : Minister 2016 Doctor Strange No No No No Uncredited ; directed mid-credits scene. 2016 Moana No No No No Uncredited ; wrote initial screenplay 2017 Thor : Ragnarok Yes No No Yes Role : Korg 2018 The Breaker Upperers No Yes No No Executive Producer 2019 Bubbles Yes No No No In Development Television Year Program Episode ( s ) Credit ( s ) 2002 The Strip Season 1, 13 Episodes Role : Mostin 2003 Revelations Season 1, Episode 14 Role : Ali 2003 Freaky Season 1, Episode 2 Role : Cleaner 2007 - 09 Flight of the Conchords `` Drive By '', `` New Zealand Town '' Director, writer 2009 The Jaquie Brown Diaries Season 2, Episode 7 Role : Friendly Gypsy Radiradirah Season 1 Various Sketch Comedy Roles 2011 Super City Season 1 Director 2012 The Inbetweeners ( U.S. TV series ) Season 1, 5 Episodes Director 2015 Brown Eye Season 1 Writer, Executive Producer 2017 Paranormal Event Response Unit In Development Co-Creator Frequent collaborators Actor Eagle vs Shark ( 2007 ) Boy ( 2010 ) What We Do in the Shadows ( 2014 ) Hunt for the Wilderpeople ( 2016 ) Thor : Ragnarok ( 2017 ) notes Jemaine Clement Clement and Waititi also worked together on television series Flight of the Conchords and Radiradirah Rachel House Stu Rutherford Cohen Holloway Craig Hall Rhys Darby Darby and Waititi also worked together on television series Flight of the Conchords and Radiradirah Cori Gonzalez - Macuer Oscar Kightley Kightley and Waititi also worked together on the television series Super City and Radiradirah Mike Minogue Sam Neill Music videos `` Ladies of the World '', Flight of the Conchords ( 2007 ) `` Mutha'uckas '', Flight of the Conchords ( 2007 ) `` Leggy Blonde '', Flight of the Conchords ( 2007 ) `` Shanks ' Pony '', Age Pryor ( 2007 ) `` Bright Grey '', The Phoenix Foundation ( 2007 ) `` My Imminent Demise '', Luke Buda ( 2008 ) `` 40 Years '', The Phoenix Foundation ( 2009 ) `` World Gone Sour ( The Lost Kids ) '', Method Man ( 2011 ) Commercials Waititi has also been a prolific commercial director. He directed Air New Zealand 's `` The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made '' featuring Peter Jackson and Elijah Wood as they go through where The Lord of the Rings films were shot. The commercial went viral amassing over 16 million views on YouTube. Waititi directed Tesco 's `` Borg '' which features a comical Thor-esque character shopping in the supermarket, notably, he went onto direct Marvel Studios ' Thor : Ragnarok years later. `` Moussaka Rap '', Pot Noodle ( 2008 ) `` I Wish ( That Girls Were More Like Pot Noodles ) '', Pot Noodle ( 2008 ) `` Back with no Appetite '', Pot Noodle ( 2008 ) `` World Gone Sour ( The Lost Kids ) '', Sour Patch Kids ( 2011 ) `` Simply The Best '', Cadbury Dairy Milk ( 2011 ) `` Gold '', Wispa ( 2011 ) `` Superbowl Brotherhood of Man '', NBC ( 2012 ) `` Pure '', Steinlager ( 2012 ) `` New Girl '', Old Navy ( 2012 ) `` Why Choose ? '', Old Navy ( 2012 ) `` Australia Day '', Lambnesia ( 2013 ) `` State Of The - Ation '', Samsung ( 2013 ) `` MIDWULS '', Optimum Cable ( 2013 ) `` Borg '' Tesco ( 2013 ) `` Pierce Brosnan '', Sky Ireland ( 2013 ) `` Blazed '', New Zealand Transport Agency ( 2013 ) `` # HELLOBEER '', Carlton ( 2013 ) `` The Kids Party '', Nimble ( 2014 ) `` The Gas Bill '', Nimble ( 2014 ) `` The Phone Bill '', Nimble ( 2014 ) `` Laura '', Stop Before You Start ( 2014 ) `` Toa '', Stop Before You Start ( 2014 ) `` Tori '', Stop Before You Start ( 2014 ) `` Jackson '', Stop Before You Start ( 2014 ) `` Destiny '', Stop Before You Start ( 2014 ) `` The Most Epic Safety Video Ever '', Air New Zealand ( 2014 ) `` Watch It Over and Over '', Nova Energy ( 2014 ) `` Tinnyvision '', New Zealand Transport Agency ( 2015 ) `` Choose Your Trebor - Confessions '', Trebor Mints ( 2015 ) `` Broadband Made Simple '', 2degrees ( 2015 ) `` Taika 's Appeal '', New Zealand Human Rights Commission ( 2017 ) Reception Critical reception Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic Eagle vs Shark 54 % ( 107 reviews ) 55 ( 25 reviews ) Boy 86 % ( 66 reviews ) 70 ( 19 reviews ) What We Do in the Shadows 96 % ( 157 reviews ) 76 ( 33 reviews ) Hunt for the Wilderpeople 97 % ( 172 reviews ) 81 ( 30 reviews ) Thor : Ragnarok TBD ( 0 reviews ) TBD ( 0 reviews ) Box office performance Film Studio Release date Box office gross Budget Reference New Zealand North America Worldwide Eagle vs Shark Miramax 15 June 2007 ( 2007 - 06 - 15 ) $733,972 $221,846 $1,298,037 N / A Boy Transmission Films 25 March 2010 ( 2010 - 03 - 25 ) $6,750,042 $256,211 $8,621,535 N / A What We Do in the Shadows Madman Entertainment 19 January 2014 ( 2014 - 01 - 19 ) $2,001,400 $3,469,224 $6,263,224 $1.6 million Hunt for the Wilderpeople Madman Entertainment 22 January 2016 ( 2016 - 01 - 22 ) $8,628,197 $5,205,468 $14,698,454 $2.5 million Thor : Ragnarok Marvel Studios 3 November 2017 ( 2017 - 11 - 03 ) TBC TBC TBC TBC Personal life In May 2012, Waititi 's wife, Chelsea Winstanley, gave birth to their first daughter, Te Hinekāhu. References Jump up ^ Taika Waititi Interview. Campus MovieFest Luminaries. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2017 -- via YouTube. Jump up ^ Churchouse, Nick ( 24 April 2010 ). `` Home Boy hit helps keep local cameras rolling ''. The Dominion Post. Retrieved 16 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` Boy Now Top Grossing NZ Film Of All Time ''. Voxy.co.nz. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Taika Waititi ''. NZ On Screen. Jump up ^ Catherall, Sarah ( 10 December 2014 ). `` My secret Wellington : Taika Waititi ''. Fairfax New Zealand. Jump up ^ Tom Hunt ( 7 February 2012 ). `` Taika Waititi reveals childhood passions ''. The Dominion Post. Jump up ^ Elizabeth - cawobeth ( 3 March 2012 ). `` ' Boy ' movie review, trailer : A charming New Zealand family movie ''. newjerseynewsroom.com. Retrieved 6 June 2012. Jump up ^ Nate Bloom ( 10 July 2007 ). `` Interfaith Celebrities : Kyra Sedgwick, Baseball 's Braun - y Interfaith Rookie and a Jewish Maori director ''. InterfaithFamily.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012. Jump up ^ Borys Kit ( 15 March 2010 ). `` Two kiwi actors join ' Green Lantern ' ''. Reuters. Retrieved 12 February 2011. Jump up ^ Lawrence, Derek. `` Thor : Ragnarok director Taika Waititi to portray Korg in film ''. Entertainment Weekly. Jump up ^ `` Release Dates for Boy ''. IMDb.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012. Jump up ^ RT Staff ( 2 December 2009 ). `` 2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced ''. rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012. Jump up ^ `` Awards for Boy ( 2010 ) ''. IMDb.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012. Jump up ^ Calder, Peter ( 25 March 2010 ). `` Boy ''. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 November 2011. Jump up ^ Mitchell, Wendy ( 21 May 2010 ). `` Waititi 's Boy sets new record for New Zealand film ''. Screen Daily. screendaily.com. Retrieved 2 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Interview with Taika Waititi ''. Marcus Lush. Auckland. 22 March 2010. ZM. Retrieved 2 December 2012. Jump up ^ `` Super City ''. TV3. Retrieved 2 December 2012. Jump up ^ `` mock documentary WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS ''. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013. Jump up ^ `` Sundance debut for Kiwi vampire spoof ''. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013. Jump up ^ `` SUNDANCE INSTITUTE COMPLETES FEATURE FILM LINEUP FOR 2016 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ''. sundance.org. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2017. Jump up ^ Sharf, Zack ( 4 April 2016 ). `` Sundance Crowdpleaser ' Hunt for the Wilderpeople ' Makes Box Office History in New Zealand ''. Indiewire.com. Retrieved 6 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Taika Waititi behind Disney script ' Moana ' ''. The New Zealand Herald. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2015. Jump up ^ Barton, Nicky. `` 2017 NEW ZEALANDER OF THE YEAR AWARDS WINNERS UPDATE ''. New Zealander of the Year Awards. Kiwibank. Retrieved 24 February 2017. Jump up ^ Kit, Borys ( 2 October 2015 ). `` ' Thor 3 ' Finds Its Director ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015. Jump up ^ Frater, Patrick ( 21 October 2015 ). `` Marvel 's ' Thor : Ragnarok ' and Fox 's ' Alien ' To Shoot in Australia ''. Variety. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Taika Waititi to Co-Direct Michael Jackson Movie ' Bubbles ' ''. The Hollywood Reporter. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017. Jump up ^ Horton, Perry ( 7 December 2016 ). Film School Rejects https://filmschoolrejects.com/the-captain-is-a-hilarious-and-harrowing-hangover-8865cccf69bc/. Retrieved 31 July 2017. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ Gonzalzes, Umberto ( 28 October 2016 ). `` ' Thor Ragnarok ' Director Taika Waititi Behind ' Doctor Strange ' Mid-Credit Scene ''. The Wrap. Retrieved 6 January 2017. Jump up ^ Hunt, Elle ( 20 March 2017 ). `` Taika Waititi on shaking up Thor and being a Hollywood outsider : ' They take this stuff so seriously ' ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2017. Jump up ^ Lawrence, Derek ( 18 April 2017 ). `` Thor : Ragnarok director Taika Waititi to portray Korg in film ''. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017. Jump up ^ Film, NZ ( 3 April 2017 ). `` THE BREAKER UPPERERS BEGINS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ''. NZ FILM. Retrieved 31 July 2017. Jump up ^ Lodderhouse, Diana ( 11 February 2017 ). `` Taika Waititi & Mark Gustafson To Direct Michael Jackson Chimp Pic ' Bubbles ' -- Berlin ''. Deadline. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017. Jump up ^ Stolworthy, Jacob ( 30 September 2016 ). `` What We Do In The Shadows is getting a TV spin - off ''. The Independent. Retrieved 31 July 2017. Jump up ^ New Zealand, Air ( 22 October 2014 ). `` The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made # AirNZSafetyVideo ''. Air New Zealand. Retrieved 31 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Eagle vs Shark Movie Reviews, Pictures ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Eagle vs Shark Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic ''. Metacritic.com. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Boy Movie Reviews, Pictures ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Boy Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic ''. Metacritic.com. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` What We Do in the Shadows Movie Reviews, Pictures ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` What We Do in the Shadows Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic ''. Metacritic.com. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Hunt for the Wilderpeople Movie Reviews, Pictures ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Hunt for the Wilderpeople Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic ''. Metacritic.com. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Thor : Ragnarok Movie Reviews, Pictures ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Thor : Ragnarok Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic ''. Metacritic.com. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017. Jump up ^. Box Office Mojo http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=eaglevsshark.htm. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^. Box Office Mojo http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=boy2012.htm. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^. Box Office Mojo http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=whatwedointheshadows.htm. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^. Box Office Mojo http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=huntforwilderpeople.htm. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^. Box Office Mojo http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=marvel2017.htm. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ Twitter Jump up ^ Powley, Kathryn ( 3 June 2012 ). `` Girl, not Boy, for director dad ''. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 February 2015. External links Taika Waititi on IMDb Official MySpace page Extensive video interview with Waititi and `` Boy '' co-star James Rolleston on American public radio program The Sound of Young America Films directed by Taika Waititi Two Cars, One Night ( 2004 ) Eagle vs Shark ( 2007 ) Boy ( 2010 ) What We Do in the Shadows ( 2014 ) Hunt for the Wilderpeople ( 2016 ) Thor : Ragnarok ( 2017 ) VIAF : 29057264 LCCN : nb2006026504 GND : 139468749 BNF : cb166721932 ( data ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taika_Waititi&oldid=800750796 '' Categories : English - language film directors Jewish male actors Living people New Zealand film directors New Zealand Jews New Zealand male Māori actors New Zealand screenwriters New Zealand people of Russian - Jewish descent People educated at Onslow College Te Whānau - ā - Apanui 1975 births Indigenous filmmakers Horror film directors Hidden categories : Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs Use New Zealand English from February 2012 All Wikipedia articles written in New Zealand English Use dmy dates from August 2017 Articles with hCards Articles with hAudio microformats Articles including recorded pronunciations ( English ) Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Galego 한국어 Italiano עברית Polski Português Русский Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 15 September 2017, at 12 : 53. 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Question: which marvel film was directed by taika waititi
Answer: Thor: Ragnarok