Taika Waititi is shaping up to have a very busy fall.

Already he’s promoting his Fox Searchlight absurdist fall film festival comedy Jojo Rabbit (opening Oct. 18) and beginning work on Next Goal Wins, his next directorial for the studio classic label. Deadline now hears that the Thor: Ragnarok, and Thor: Love and Thunder filmmaker is in talks for a role in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad at Warner Bros. No word on what part, or how big.

Word is that there’s a table reading for the DC sequel on Sept. 11 with production starting Sept. 23 for a Aug. 6, 2021 release.

Waititi would join a growing cast that includes Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) as well as new cast members Idris Elba, David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher), Flula Borg, Steve Agee (King Shark) and Nathan Fillion. Gunn wrote the script to The Suicide Squad. Chuck Roven and Peter Safran are producing. EP is Nik Korda.

Waititi begins work on Thor: Love and Thunder with Natalie Portman as the female Thor during 2020 1Q.  Waititi electrified the Thor franchise after helming threequel Ragnarok taking the pic to a WW gross of $854M, the highest gross for a pic in the series. The New Zealand filmmaker directed an episode of Disney+ upcoming Star Wars streaming series The Mandalorian, dropping on Nov. 12. Waititi is the executive producer on FX’s vampire comedy series What We Do In Shadows based on his 2014 film, and he also directed three episodes on that. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2005 for the live-actoin short Two Cars, One Night. 

Waititi is receiving the Toronto Film Festival’s Ebert Director Award at this year’s inaugural TIFF Tribute Gala awards event. The award recognizes and honors a filmmaker for their outstanding contribution to cinema.

Waititi is repped by CAA, Manage-ment and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.

via Deadline