Scarlett Johansson has been cast to star in Taika Waititi’s upcoming World War II film Jojo Rabbit. Johansson has been on a great run in recent years, with multiple appearances as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She’s also appeared in comedies like Hail, Caesar! and Rough Night, and lent her voice to multiple projects, including Wes Anderson’s acclaimed new film Isle of Dogs. So a movie about World War II is decidedly a departure from Johansson’s recent work.
It’s also a change of pace for Waititi, who took his career to thrilling new heights with the massive success of Thor: Ragnarok. He blended his distinctive wit with the same familiar characters and eye-popping action that has come to define the MCU, leading to one of the biggest winners of all the Marvel movies. The auteur will attempt to take a humorous tone with a subject as delicate as the Holocaust and World War II in Fox Searchlight’s Jojo Rabbit, in which he will play an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler. And in Johansson, he’s found a co-star.
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Variety first reported on Wednesday that Johansson is in talks to be cast as Jojo Rabbit’s female lead. She will play the mother of a young boy in Hitler’s army, who discovers that she is hiding a Jewish boy in their home. Waititi’s portrayal of Hitler will be as an imaginary friend of the protagonist, as he guides the boy through turbulent times that include peer bullying and a rough relationship with his mother.
Production for the film, which Waititi also wrote, is reportedly expected to begin in the spring. As Variety also noted, Waititi turned down other film offers in favor of the opportunity to make Jojo Rabbit (apparently, he even would’ve turned down Star Wars). The young German boy conjures up Waititi’s Hitler when his loneliness and confusion creates a mix between his father and the Hitler depicted in Nazi propaganda. Waititi insisted that his Hitler will not be remotely sympathetic to the real-life dictator but a “goofy” and “charming” figment of the protagonist’s imagination.
Clearly, this is a uniquely ambitious task for Waititi. He aims to depict Hitler with a humorous, whimsical bent in a way that won’t offend audiences, which would be a challenge for any filmmaker. The hope is that he can achieve a heartfelt message of hope and comfort amid one of the darkest, most horrific events in recorded history – and somehow do it as its figurehead. Johansson, however, should be able to help with her own distinctive charms as an actress.
Actor/director Roberto Benigni achieved a similar effect with his Oscar-winning Holocaust-set dramedy Life is Beautiful, but Hitler does not appear in the film. It’s practically an unprecedented undertaking for Waititi and everyone else involved. He and Johansson may be taking big risks with the subject matter, but the talent involved in Jojo Rabbit gives the project great potential.
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