Taika Waititi’s directing career has hit a difficult stretch, with his planned Star Wars film placed on hold and his latest release, Klara and the Sun, struggling at the box office.
The New Zealand filmmaker, who is married to singer-songwriter Rita Ora, built his reputation through acclaimed projects including What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and the Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit.
However, despite a long list of Hollywood credits, Waititi now appears to be facing a significant creative setback.
Klara and the Sun currently carries a 26 per cent “rotten” rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. His 2023 film Next Goal Wins also received a “rotten” score, standing at 46 per cent.
Waititi’s 2022 Marvel release Thor: Love and Thunder was rated “fresh” at 46 per cent, although that score still places it among the lowest-rated Marvel films.
Some critics have linked the change in his filmmaking fortunes to the end of his marriage to film producer Chelsea Winstanley.
Taika Waititi’s recent career has come under scrutiny after box-office disappointments and delayed projects, following his separation from producer Chelsea Winstanley, pictured in 2018
Waititi is now frequently photographed with wife Rita Ora at high-profile events and has also worked on her music videos, while his film career faces renewed criticism
Winstanley produced several of Waititi’s most successful films, including What We Do in the Shadows, which holds a 96 per cent “fresh” rating, and Jojo Rabbit, which has an 81 per cent critics’ score.
Waititi and Winstanley, who share two children, reportedly separated privately in 2018 before confirming the split publicly two years later. The announcement came shortly before Waititi’s relationship with Ora became known.
Amid his recent run of underperforming films, some fans have argued online that Winstanley played a crucial role in shaping his strongest work.
One Reddit user wrote: “Look at the timing of his separation and how much his career has slipped since then. The last film she worked on was Jojo Rabbit.”
Another commenter described Winstanley as a key creative influence, arguing that during the period from Boy to Jojo Rabbit, she helped temper Waititi’s “worst impulses” while adding the emotional depth that connected with audiences.
A further post suggested that the pair’s creative partnership may have been central to Waititi’s success: “When you remove one part of a creative partnership, it can unravel quickly. Perhaps Waititi has the playful ideas but needs someone to challenge him and know when to say no.”
Another user summed up the criticism by writing that Waititi appeared to have joined the group of “good male directors” whose films declined after separating from their editor or producer wives.
In recent years, Waititi has been more visible at red-carpet events with Ora and through collaborations on her music projects.
The couple married in a private ceremony in August 2022, after Ora reportedly proposed to Waititi.
Fans have credited Chelsea Winstanley with helping shape Waititi’s strongest films while debating the reasons behind his recent critical struggles
The filmmaker won an Oscar for Jojo Rabbit, pictured with the award in 2020
Waititi’s latest film, Klara and the Sun, starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, has failed to make a major impact at the box office.
The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and has faced a series of underwhelming reviews since its release.
The Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian each awarded the movie one star.
Waititi, however, dismissed the criticism surrounding Klara and the Sun, describing some reviewers as “irrelevant” and “out of touch.”
Sharing a poster highlighting audience reactions on Instagram, he wrote: “I haven’t read a review of anything aimed at me or my peers in almost 15 years. But I do listen to the people.
“So this Halloween, let’s spare a thought for those sad, lost souls who couldn’t achieve their dreams of becoming artists and instead became critics. The same people who also hated Jojo Rabbit. [Cry-laughing and shrugging emojis]
“Irrelevant. Out of touch. Obsolete. In the bin.”
Waititi has described Klara and the Sun as the most dramatic project of his career.
Speaking to SFX magazine, he said: “It’s very different from my other work.
“It’s the most dramatic thing I’ve done. With most of my films, the difficult part is figuring out how to market them. People will see the trailer and think, ‘It’s a fun romp with robots,’ but it isn’t, you know?
“It’s a deep meditation on the human condition. I like changing things up, and I’m enjoying this brief move into the dramatic side of myself.”
Klara and the Sun, starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, has struggled at the box office, pictured last month
The director also admitted that working with Ortega left him feeling out of his depth, while praising the Wednesday star for challenging his choices during production.
He said: “All the actors I cast in this film, especially Jenna because she carried so much of it, really saved my life in a lot of ways.
“You want that. I’m always nervous around someone who simply agrees with everything I say.”
Klara and the Sun is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel of the same name, and Waititi said he was grateful for the author’s support.
He explained: “He was very open about saying, ‘I’ve done my part. Now I’m handing it over to you to do what you want with it. As long as you don’t ruin it and remain somewhat faithful, it’s yours.’
“It was really great to receive that supportive nod.”
The movie was filmed in Waititi’s native New Zealand, whose landscape became an important part of the production.
The director said: “I wanted to remain faithful to the book, but spend a little more time with her out in the fields.
“I’m not going to say, ‘Make the wheat fields a character,’ but they’re present all the time. The landscape is so prominent, both in New Zealand and in the book.
“Ra Vincent, who has worked on production design for most of my films, also made some bold choices with the house. We were asking, ‘What might it look like slightly in the future? What are the trends?’”
The development pause follows Waititi’s revelation that his long-awaited Star Wars film had been “put on ice,” pictured on the set of Thor in 2017
Waititi also revealed this year that his long-awaited Star Wars project had been “put on ice.”
“I hate to break this to you, but we’re actually going to put it on ice while we work on something else together,” Waititi told Inverse. “It’s very iced. I have about four other movies I’m trying to make.”
His upcoming projects include voicing Willy Wonka in the Netflix sequel Charlie v The Chocolate Factory, as well as work on a What We Do in the Shadows sequel and adaptations of The Incal and Barn 8.
In November 2023, Waititi indicated that there was no immediate deadline for his Star Wars film.
He told Entertainment Tonight: “At the moment, I’m still developing something with them. Like me, they have a lot of projects underway. I think they’ll push it back until I finish these other projects.
“I have about four other scripts I’m trying to complete. I want to take my time with Star Wars and get it right. I don’t want to rush the movie.”
