Trailer for Taika Waititi’s ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’

Taika Waititi delivered arguably the best comedy film of last year with What We Do in the Shadows, and before he dives into the MCU as the director of Thor: Rangarok, he’s at Sundance this week to premiere his newest comedy. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is already earning positive reviews out of the festival, and this short trailer for the film offers a quick look at what all the fuss is about.

We don’t really need to be sold on a new film from the director of What We Do in the Shadows and one of the hilarious minds behind Flight of the Conchords, but we’ll still gladly watch this teaser for Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Waititi’s latest stars Julian Dennison as Ricky Baker, a “bad egg” who finally finds a good foster family only to have a disaster threaten to unravel his life all over again. Ricky and his zany foster uncle (Sam Neill) head out into the wilderness to evade a social worker, and that’s when things get really interesting. And yes, What We Do in the Shadows and Conchords star Rhys Darby also makes an appearance — as if he wouldn’t.

Here’s the official synopsis:

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.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople was directed and written by Waititi, adapted from Barry Crump’s book Wild Pork and Watercress. The film doesn’t yet have a release date, but with the positive reactions and Waititi set to helm a Marvel movie next, it shouldn’t be long before a studio snatches this one up for distribution.