'Star Wars' Has Even Stricter Guidelines Than Marvel, According To Taika Waititi

Taika Waititi is no stranger to working under secretive conditions, but it seems that one Disney-owned studio is stricter than the others. The Thor: Ragnarok director recently journeyed to a galaxy far, far away to helm an episode of the upcoming Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. There, he learned the secrets of the Star Wars universe — but nothing he can tell us about. Because it turns out that Star Wars keeps its directors on an even tighter leash than Marvel Studios.

One of the most anticipated titles from Disney's streaming service, Disney+, is the Jon Favreau-produced Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian, which boasts an all-star cast led by Pedro Pascal and an array of high-profile directors including Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, and of course, Waititi. The New Zealand-born filmmaker recently spoke to The Observer about his time in that galaxy far, far away, but unfortunately, it seems he really can't say much.

When asked whether Star Wars or Marvel has the stricter guidelines, Waititi said without hesitation, "Star Wars, yeah, easily." Also, it seems Favreau and Lucasfilm were somewhat accommodating of Waititi's singular style that made Thor: Ragnarok such a success, in which he revamped the somber God of Thunder into a comedic character with a heart. Waititi said that he brought some of that style, as well as his previous experience working with fellow What We Do in the Shadows' producers Jemaine Clement and Paul Simms, to his Mandalorian episode.

"There's definitely some of the stuff I've learned over the years from working with [ Clement] and [Simms] and everyone else back home that I have brought to my episode. But I can't... It's a very sacred universe, the Star Wars universe, so I can't do too much of it."

Waititi said he didn't get to push too many boundaries with his single episode of The Mandalorian, but that the situation was not dissimilar.

"I gotta check. Sometimes they'll say, 'You've driven the Marvel truck out of the land and off the freeway and you gotta come back now.'"

Waititi has said before that The Mandalorian is consistent with the "tone of the first films," which means he couldn't go too wild with his signature absurd comedic style. But it's likely we'll still see some of his flair in the episode he directs once The Mandalorian premieres on Disney+ sometime this year.