Taika Waititi Directing Movie Adaptation of The Incal Graphic Novel

May 2024 · 4 minute read

Taika Waititi will adapt “The Incal” into a feature film.

The big screen version of the beloved comic book creation of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius will boast a script from the “Thor: Ragnarok” director and writer, who will collaborate with Jemaine Clement and Peter Warren. Clement and Waititi previously teamed on “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Flight of the Conchords.”

The project is the first foray into film for publisher Humanoids.

“The films and graphic novels of Alejandro Jodorowsky have influenced me and so many others for so long. I was stunned to be given the opportunity to bring his iconic characters to life,” said Waititi.

Created by filmmaker and writer Jodorowsky and French artist Moebius at the end of the ’70s, “The Incal” has a devoted readership, having become the highest-selling science fiction graphic novel in history. The graphic novel is the foundation of the “Jodoverse,” which encompasses best-selling comic book series such as “The Metabarons” and “Megalex.”

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It centers on a private investigator John Difool, who happens upon a mystical artifact known as the Incal, an object of great power coveted by many factions across the galaxy. As Difool learns of the Incal’s powers and purpose, he teams with a ragtag crew on a mission to save the universe.

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“It began as the adventures of a jackass named John Difool, and then it became something else — we called it ‘The Incal’ — something that has transformed everything it’s ever touched and continues to do so: its creators, the other artists who later became a part of John’s journey, its publisher Humanoids and myself in the process, countless readers, writers and directors around the world, and soon, I believe, the great Taika Waititi himself and everyone who looks to him for inspiration,” said Humanoids CEO Fabrice Giger.

Jodorowsky said that Giger introduced him to Waititi’s work, which convinced him that he’d found the right filmmaker. “I fully trust Taika’s creativity to give ‘The Incal’ a stunning take, intimate and at the same time of cosmic proportions,” he said.

Humanoids is producing with Primer Entertainment, a company led by David Jourdan that acquired a stake in the publishing house in 2019.

Waititi won an Oscar for his screenplay for “JoJo Rabbit” and also directed “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” He is represented by CAA and Manage-ment.

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