‘Hunt For the Wilderpeople’ Trailer: Taika Waititi’s Latest Cult Comedy

You might not know Taika Waititi’s name right now, but you will.

Waititi’s already a very accomplished director of indie films like Eagle vs Shark and Boy. He broke through to a new audience with his cult vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows, which was absolutely hilarious and became a small arthouse hit here in the U.S. And next year he’ll bring you Thor: Ragnarok, the third film in the Marvel franchise, this one some kind of road-trip comedy with Thor and Hulk. That film’s sure to bring him even more attention and send people back to those earlier, awesome movies.

Before that, though, Waititi’s got one more smaller indie to unveil, and that’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which stars Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill and just premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The latest trailer’s above; here’s a plot synopsis, via Sundance:

Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec, and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family.

Though he didn’t review Hunt for the Wilderpeople out of Sundance, ScreenCrush editor-in-chief Mike Sampson was a big fan of the movie, so watch this space for lots more about the Wilderpeople (and Waititi) in the future.