Taika Waititi’ - “Jojo Rabbit”

[DarthSkywalker]

From reading the script, I think JoJo will be his best movie. Should get a best original screen play nom too.

 

[HammerDown]

Big news regarding Jojo Rabbit.

I was listening to a podcast with Taika and Kermode and Taika dropped some big fresh stuff relating the movie. So apparently the movie is almost done and it has also been screen tested with a few audiences. He also said he would probably deliver the movie in May 2019.

Taika also said that he feels that next to Boy, Jojo Rabbit is going to be his most important film... He also said that if he were to test the unfinished product now it would be around 75% but he was making adjustments to bring it up to 90 - 95%.

Here is the podcast.
Ep 6: Kermode on Peeping Tom, Bill Forsyth on Local Hero, Taika Waititi on film and Sylvia Syms on her career | Kermode on Film on acast

 

[HammerDown]

Predicting the release of the first trailer.
Jojo Rabbit is being produced by Fox Searchlight. The last few movies this company released had this amount of time between the release of the first trailer and the movie in theaters.

Isle of Dogs - 6 months
The Old Man & the Gun - 4 months
The Favourite - 4.5 months
The Aftermath - 6.5 months (Trailer released October 16th / Movie releases April 26th.)

According to Taika the movie would be delivered in May. If the movie is indeed going to be released in May then i would say that the trailer should be dropping sometime between now and the next month and a half.

 

[zephyrinthesky]

Predicting the release of the first trailer.
Jojo Rabbit is being produced by Fox Searchlight. The last few movies this company released had this amount of time between the release of the first trailer and the movie in theaters.

Isle of Dogs - 6 months
The Old Man & the Gun - 4 months
The Favourite - 4.5 months
The Aftermath - 6.5 months (Trailer released October 16th / Movie releases April 26th.)

According to Taika the movie would be delivered in May. If the movie is indeed going to be released in May then i would say that the trailer should be dropping sometime between now and the next month and a half.

If Fox Searchlight thinks the movie is an Oscar contender, Taika finishing the movie in May doesn't necessarily mean it'll be released in May/June. The studio could delay it into the fall to be closer to Oscar bait season.

There's also a lot of big blockbusters releasing in May/June/July - I don't think Searchlight is expecting this to be a huge box office hit but they won't want this movie to be lost in the mix. If I had to guess I think the earliest we'll see this movie in theatres is July 26th (the week after The Lion King).

 

[HammerDown]

Taika about Jojo Rabbit on another podcast(Thanks For Trying s2 e10).

- If i pull it off will be my best film.

If Fox Searchlight thinks the movie is an Oscar contender, Taika finishing the movie in May doesn't necessarily mean it'll be released in May/June. The studio could delay it into the fall to be closer to Oscar bait season.

Well after listening to the podcast i think you're spot on. Taika had this to say about the release of the movie.

When is this coming out?
- We actually don't know when it's going to come out. I don't have to finish it until sometime next year. Maybe March, April or May... i'll deliver it. And then hopefully by the end of the year(2019).

 

[NotNickFury]

Even if the movie released early in the year, if there's still buzz throughout the year, it could easily be an Oscar contender. I always go back to Grand Budapest Hotel. I mean, that movie came out in March of 2014 and still won four Oscars and got a nomination for Best Picture in 2015.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Even if the movie released early in the year, if there's still buzz throughout the year, it could easily be an Oscar contender. I always go back to Grand Budapest Hotel. I mean, that movie came out in March of 2014 and still won four Oscars and got a nomination for Best Picture in 2015.

That is a rarity though.

 

[zephyrinthesky]

The earliest I see this movie screening is in May for the Cannes Film Festival and select critics, then wide release in late summer or early fall. But that's at the earliest.

I just don't see the studio wanting this movie being lost in the mix of all the big blockbusters coming out in 2019.

 

[HammerDown]

On the Fox Searchlight website they have pages for 8 movies.

- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- The Shape of Water
- Isle of Dogs
- The Old Man & the Gun
- Can You Ever Forgive Me?
- The Favourite
- The Aftermath
- Jojo Rabbit

 

[HammerDown]

Taika Waititi still making stop-motion movie about Michael Jackson's pet monkey; also in talks for Akira

The director's next theatrical release will be Jojo Rabbit, a dramedy set during World War II, in which Waititi will play an "imaginary friend" version of Adolf Hitler. As one of history's most evil individuals, the Nazi leader is an easy target to parody, but it's also a difficult juggling act to capture the seriousness, bigotry, and streamlined murder prevalent in war-torn Europe at the time.

"I'm guessing fans of Hitler won't be happy," Waititi joked. "It's not very respectful to him. It's not an authentic portrayal, because he's an imaginary friend. My take is going to be in keeping with my style."

 

[HammerDown]

The 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2019 | IndieWire

“Jojo Rabbit” (Taika Waititi)
Truth be told, if anyone could tackle a movie featuring Adolf Hitler in the year of our lord 2019, it would be Taika Waititi. And, as Waititi himself so eloquently put it, “what better **** you” to Hitler than to have him played by the half-Maori, half-Jewish director who single-handedly saved the MCU? With “Jojo Rabbit,” Waititi will explore the story of a young German boy who, struggling to find his own place in a fascist regime, creates his own imaginary friend: Hitler. Unbeknownst to him though, his mother is hiding a Jewish child in their own home.

As Waititi has proven in “Boy,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” and even his Oscar-nominated short, “Two Cars, One Night,” the director is incredibly skilled at poignant and truthful examinations of childhood, in all of its wonderment, naivety, and heartbreak. And so, despite a subject that might seem especially taboo, Waititi can be trusted to deliver something both hilarious and thought-provoking. With a cast featuring Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, and “Leave No Trace” breakout Thomasin McKenzie, “Jojo Rabbit” promises to be one of 2019’s most interesting films. — JR

 

[HammerDown]

So this kid is playing a character called Yorki in Jojo Rabbit. The hat seems to be from the movie production, it's a rabbit with a helmet caring a rifle and throwing a grenade.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Yorki is hilarious in the script. He looks exactly as described too.

 

[HammerDown]

This kid is playing Jojo.

 

[Moridin]

Well he definitely looks like a rabbit, so... spot on casting

 

[HammerDown]

Apparently there was a screening of Jogo Rabbit around the 17th of January. People had to give all their personal information in order to be allowed to watch it. One person that watched it said it was a "really great film".

Internet is an amazing place and nowadays with a bit of research and luck one can find all sort stuff. The same person that went to the screening has also a website where they share info related to movies people watch and the website has also a rating system of 0 to 5 stars. So this same person that supposedly watched Jojo Rabbit, a few days later went on to watch What We Do In The Shadows(rated it 4 out of 5) and then Hunt For The Wilderpeople(4 out of 5 too).

There was definitely a test screening on the 17th of January. Already found 2 persons that saw it.

 

[HammerDown]

Fox Searchlight Pictures website has taken Jojo Rabbit out from their lineup of upcoming movies. They had a page for the movie with some info but now it’s gone. I wonder what it means. Will there be other movies coming out first, won’t they release the movie soon, isn’t the movie Oscar material...?

EDIT: The website has been doing some changes to their line up. They took out some of the older movies and have now added "Tolkien" instead of Jojo Rabbit. Tolkien comes now after "The Aftermath" which is scheduled to a March 15th release, Tolkien will come out on May 10th... I guess the focus of the company is on these movies first. So Jojo Rabbit won't come out early which could be a good sign.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Taika Waititi On His Marvel Future, Directing ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ & ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian’

Waititi is currently finishing his Fox Searchlight Hitler satire Jojo Rabbit with additional footage and editing, prepping for an autumn release.

 

[HammerDown]

Alright. An "autumn release", definitely a good sign then... Seems like Taika and Fox Searchlight are ironing out the details and steadily placing the movie into a promising slot. Those screenings must have been promising.

TW also said this about the tone of the movie.

“It was very similar to the tone of my other films – not including Shadows and Ragnarok – like Wilderpeople, Boy and my earlier films. A fun balance of tone of comedy and drama.”

Perfect. Those 2, HFTWP and Boy are really his best work. Where he expertly balances his specific tone.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

EXCLUSIVE: New ‘JOJO RABBIT’ Details Reveal An Emotional Dark Comedy Set In Nazi Germany

Set during World War II, the film follows a young boy in Hitler’s army named Jojo “Rabbit” Betzler, played by Roman Griffin Davis. He’s a big fan of Hitler and is determined to become the best Nazi he can be. To do so, he joins the “Hitler Youth” in which he goes under the guidance of Captain Klezendorf (Sam Rockwell) and Fraulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson). Jojo gets the nickname “Rabbit” when he fails to kill a bunny in class, even though he says that he wants to kill Jews. His imaginary friend, a goofy version of Hitler played by Taika Waititi, encourages him to reach his goals and succeed.

Everything changes when Jojo discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) has been hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) behind a hidden door in a room. He decides, with the help of Imaginary Hitler, that he should learn more about Jews through the girl and give that intel to the Nazis, and possibly meet Fuhrer. Of course, the tender-hearted child starts to warm up to the girl and the situation gets complicated soon after.

 

[HammerDown]

Not that much of an "exclusive".
The guy just read the script and posted a spoilery summary of what the movie is about.

 

[HammerDown]

Sam Rockwell CR Men Issue 8 Tim Blanks - Sam Rockwell is Used to Playing the Anti-Hero

In Jojo Rabbit, his other upcoming movie, he does, in fact, defy the label—by playing a Nazi! “But Captain Klenzendorf is not just a straight-down-the-line Nazi,” Rockwell adds quickly. Anything straight-down-the-line is unlikely when the Maori director Taika Waititi is involved—Waititi wrote and directed Jojo Rabbit, and previously spun superhero comedy gold out of Thor: Ragnarok (and is playing Hitler in Jojo Rabbit!). “It’s an amazing script, it’s way out there,” Rockwell adds, “and it’ll be interesting to see how people relate to it.”

 

[HammerDown]

Alright i have big news regarding Jojo Rabbit.
Apparently there has been another test screening. This one was yesterday in LA. A good number of people saw the movie but are under NDA's so they haven't posted much about what they saw, i can tell you that most people liked it while others haven't said a thing. Only 3 persons actually rated the movie, two 5 out of 5's and one 4.5 out of 5.

Also there where rumors online that the trailer was going to drop last week or so but apparently not. I'm guessing it has to do with the stuff that happen in NZ, the fact that Taika is from there and the subject matter of the movie.

Meanwhile Fox Searchlight have already put a trailer out for Lucy in the Sky. A movie that was filmed at the same time as Jojo Rabbit, is also coming this year and could be an awards contender.

 

[James.B]

 

[HammerDown]

I wonder if Frosty has heard that positive buzz already because he posted this on the same day the LA screening took place. I also saw someone commenting on a awards website about people that saw it and they had only excellent things to say.