Taika Waititi, director of Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, is set to direct Fox Searchlight’s Next Goal Wins, according to Deadline.
- Next Goal Wins will be based on a 2014 British soccer documentary from directors Mike Brett and Steve Jamison.
- The documentary followed Dutch coach Thomas Rongen who attempted to turn around the consistently-underperforming American Samoa soccer team.
- The doc made its world premiere at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and would later win the British Independent Film Award for Best Documentary that year.
- Waititi will be adapting the documentary along with Iain Morris while Garrett Basch will produce.
- Imaginarium Productions’ Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish optioned the rights to the documentary in 2015, allowing Waititi to take on the project.
- Waititi and company are reportedly to begin production in the fall with Imaginarium Productions also being involved.
- Fox Searchlight will also be releasing Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit on October 18 and the director will begin work on Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder in early 2020.
ICYMI – More Fox news:
- Fox Searchlight has set an October 4 limited release date for Lucy in the Sky, starring Natalie Portman.
- The Walt Disney Company announced the closure of the Fox Research Library, the contents of which will be folded into the Walt Disney Archives.
- A lawsuit brought against 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company regarding a Malaysian theme park has reached a settlement. The park will continue to use licensed Fox intellectual properties (IPs), but will no longer be called “Fox World.”
- Fox Stage Productions has officially been absorbed by Disney Theatrical Productions. Isaac Robert Hurwitz, the former Senior Vice President of Fox Stage confirmed that the musical adaptations of Mrs. Doubtfire and The Devil Wears Prada are moving forward under Disney.