Okay, who had Taika Waititi winning a Grammy on their 2021 Bingo Card?

In 2017 Taika Waititi made his mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his comedic take on Thor: Ragnarok. By most accounts, the film was the best entry in the Thor stand-alone films, earning the director heaps of praise. He of course went on to voice the character of IG-11 in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and directed the Season 1 finale. After two seasons, that chapter is still widely regarded as one of the best of the entire series. Despite his successes in the Disney-owned franchises, however, it’s another feature that continues to bring the awards. After winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, Waititi has now won a Grammy for Jojo Rabbit, as well.

Taika Waititi
Image: Searchlight Pictures

The eccentric film centers on a young member of Hilter’s Youth in Nazi Germany who finds out his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. He struggles to balance his nationalism and morality with the help of his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi).  Last night the film won the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack. In typical Waititi fashion, the New Zealand director accepted the award with a quirky speech from the set of Thor: Love and Thunder.

Taika Waititi wins surprise Grammy

Jeff Goldblum; Taika Waititi
Paul Bettany of WandaVision, Jeff Goldblum of Thor: Ragnarok and Taika Waititi of The Mandalorian at D23 EXPO 2019. (Image: Getty Images North America)

The win came as a huge shock and surprise to the multi-talented actor and director. “I guess they’re just giving Grammys to anyone now,” he said in disbelief as he began his acceptance speech. “I’ll take it! Thank you!” He continued over a very poor video connection from his trailer on the set of the Thor sequel:

“What can I say, it was so long ago I can barely remember anything about making that movie. It seems like it’s never going to go away, and I’m happy with that.”

Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi records dialogue for IG-11 in The Mandalorian. (Image: Jon Favreau/Instagram)

Disney certainly has found a goldmine in Taika Waititi. The Walt Disney Company, as we know, owns both the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Everything he touches earns tremendous success these days. Thor: Love and Thunder is obviously under production for Marvel Studios.  Lucasfilm is banking on his Midas Touch, too. He’ll also direct an upcoming Star Wars feature film, likely to release in 2025.

Congratulations, Taika Waititi. Keep on keepin’ it weird.