He last brought us the wonderful Hunt For The Wilderpeople and has been having fun in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Taika Waititi appears ready to head to an even stranger place. He's signed on to co-direct Bubbles, a stop-motion movie about the life of Michael Jackson's pet chimp.
Mark Gustafson, who has worked on movies such as Fantastic Mr. Fox and is developing a new Pinocchio with Guillermo del Toro, is on to co-direct the new film, which is coming from the team behind Anomalisa.
Isaac Adamson's screenplay chronicles the ape's friendship with the King Of Pop after Jackson adopted him from a Texas research facility and gave him a home at his Neverland ranch in 1983. He lived with the megastar until he became too aggressive (Bubbles, not Jacko) and was moved to a primate sanctuary in Florida, where he still lives.
"It's an idea that fascinates me and one I want to develop further," says Waititi, who previously channeled obsession with Jackson through 2010 comedy Boy. "Most people know I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan, so the main thing for me is to make sure it's respectful of him and his legacy. I'm not interested in making a biopic; I want to focus on telling a story that blends fact and fantasy, about an animal trying to make sense of the world. This film is not about Michael Jackson because that's not a story for me to tell – or a story I'd be comfortable telling – it's about a chimpanzee's fascinating journey through the complex jungle of human life. I think animation is the only way to approach a story like this."
There's no date for this one to arrive yet, but it'll take time given the painstaking nature of stop-motion. But we'll see Waititi's vision back this year, as applied to Thor: Ragnarok, due on 27 October in the UK and 3 November in the States.
Anomalisa Producers plan film about Michael Jackson's Chimp, Bubbles