Michael Fassbender has signed on to star in Taika Waititi‘s next project. It’s called Next Goal Wins, a sports dramedy based on Mike Brett and Steve Jamison‘s 2014 British documentary of the same name. The underdog story follows the American Samoa national football team and their coach as they seek to transform from perennial losers into a squad that qualifies for the FIFA World Cup.
New Zealand native Waititi wrote the script alongside Iain Morris. Andy Serkis is producing the film along with Brett and Jamison. Serkis’ Imaginarium Productions optioned the remake rights to the documentary back when it was first released.
Waititi has of course already signed on to return to the MCU and direct Thor: Love And Thunder. But he has time before that, so Next Goal Wins will be his next project. It’s great that even with his huge blockbuster success, he’s still happy to make smaller, more personal films.
This is a great get for Fassbender, who’s been on a pretty poor run recently. He starred in the critically reviled The Snowman, the forgotten Assassin’s Creed adaptation, and two unliked X-Men movies over the last few years. For such a great actor, that’s a mightily poor return. Choosing to work with one of the most likeable directors in Hollywood is a smart move.
Waititi though, just keeps rolling. His next film, the WWII satire Jojo Rabbit, has already garnered critical acclaim at festivals. It hits cinemas Friday, October 18.
#Peace.Love.NextGoalWins
