‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Director Taika Waititi Addresses His Infamous ‘Star Wars’ Tweet

Taika Waititi caught plenty of people’s attention last month with his comments on the Star Wars franchise. And now, the Thor: Ragnarok director is here to set the record straight.

Uproxx recently asked Waititi about the now-infamous tweet he sent back in September, after Colin Trevorrow exited the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. Waititi joked that he wouldn’t be interested in directing the installment, because he likes “to complete [his] films.” While some time has passed since Waititi sent the tweet, he doesn’t get why it went viral.

“Why is it infamous?” Waititi pondered. “I was just saying I’d be scared I’d be fired.”

As Waititi explained, it’s not that he would turn down the opportunity to direct a Star Wars film. He just would be more hesitant, following the departures of Trevorrow and Solo: A Star Wars Story directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

“Look, I’m not an idiot.” Waititi added. “Who would actually say no to Star Wars? Of course, I didn’t send that idea very seriously, it’s more that in light of all the things that were happening over the last couple of months, it would make me a little nervous.”

But ultimately, Waititi gets why the directors of the Star Wars franchise are occasionally under a sort of creative scrutiny.

“But I see both sides of it.” Waititi explained. “It’s such a strong, established property – you recognize it and you recognize the tone with every one of those films. So I can kind of get why, on the studio side, why they feel they have a duty to keep it a certain way. And I’ve been lucky with Thor and Marvel that they can go off in any direction they want really.”

Even if Waititi doesn’t leave his mark on the Star Wars franchise, he still will have plenty of projects in the near future. Waititi is being eyed to direct a live-action adaptation of Akira, which he promises would not be whitewashed. He also is developing several spinoffs – including a television series – based on his vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows. And of course, there are already talks for Waititi to direct another Marvel film – possibly a fourth Thor installment.

The next installment in the Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi, will hit theaters December 15.