Star Wars: Rhys Darby Addresses Possibilty of Joining Taika Waititi’s Project

Taika Waititi is known for directing an array of films, including Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder. Soon, the creative will be moving on to Star Wars, and he recently teased that he wants his film to feel like the original trilogy and that he hopes his movie will “piss people off.”  Waititi is also an actor and recently returned to the role of Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death. Waititi’s character has sparked a romance with Stede Bonnet, who is played by Waititi’s real-life friend, Rhys Darby. The duo have worked together on many projects over the years, so ComicBook.com wondered if Darby could be popping up in Star Wars in the future. While chatting about Our Flag Means Death‘s second season, we asked Darby if he’s a Star Wars fan and if his relationship with Waititi has changed or grown since making Our Flag Means Death. 

“I love Star Wars. Yeah, of course. Yeah. I mean, hello?” Darby shared. 

“I think we’re already close and we’ve always had each other’s back,” he added when asked about his friendship with Waititi. “We’ve been through this kind of big journey through the entertainment world and to America and stuff together in many ways, connected. But yeah, I think these roles have definitely shown us what we’re capable of in a dramatic acting way that we haven’t necessarily done before, and we’ve really enjoyed doing those things together. So it’s advanced, not so much our friendship, but just our technique and our love of that acting craft. I think that’s something that’s really great to go through with a friend.” 

Our Flag Means Death Showrunner Talks Stede and Blackbeard’s Romance: 

The first season of Our Flag Means Death saw Stede and Blackbeard develop a romantic relationship. Showrunner David Jenkins previously opened up to Screen Rant about the development of that romance.

“They have a chemistry with each other that, when the first time they shot together, it was obvious. It was noticeable, the chemistry that they have. It was very easy. They both played kind of a heavy scene. I think one of your first scenes, [Rhys], was that one where he’s in the bathtub. Immediately it was like, ‘Oh, there’s a shorthand there that’s really lovely.’ And you don’t always get to see it, because Rhys and Taika are both used to coming into a scene, killing it by being absolutely hilarious, and then leaving,” Jenkins explained.

“The thing that I noticed watching it was, and I know I said it to Taika and maybe Rhys, where it was like, ‘You don’t have to come into the scene and kill it, because you’ve got 10 episodes of scenes to do that. You don’t have to do everything.’ Because they’re just amazing and they want to come in and destroy. I think, on this, where they’re both the lead and we get to see so much of them, it’s nice to see them, and to look at them, and watch them think. I haven’t gotten the chance to do that as a fan. So, creating those moments was absolutely a joy.” 

Our Flag Means Death is now streaming on Max. Stay tuned for more from our interviews with the show’s cast.