Taika Waititi Calls Michael Fassbender A "Comic Revelation" In 'Next Goal Wins' & Won't Reveal Baby Yoda's Real Name

Taika Waititi finds himself in an interesting situation that shows just how unique he is as a filmmaker. He’s currently navigating awards season as the filmmaker behind WWII satire “Jojo Rabbit,” filming his sports comedy “Next Goal Wins,” and prepping the upcoming superhero epic “Thor: Love & Thunder.” Oh yeah, and he directed the finale of “The Mandalorian. So, it makes sense that while at the Golden Globes, he had plenty to talk about.

According to a tweet from Kyle Buchanan, a writer at NYTimes, Waititi met up with the writer and not only teased one of his upcoming films but also talked about one of the biggest mysteries of “The Mandalorian.” But in both cases, it appears that the filmmaker isn’t ready to spill the beans quite yet.

“I must say, [Michael] Fassbender’s a bit of a comic revelation in this!” Waititi said about the star of his upcoming film “Next Goal Wins.”

For those unaware, “Next Goal Wins” tells the true story of a soccer coach (Fassbender) that gains control of the American Samoa national team and attempts to get them qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. As you might gather from Waititi directing the film, humor is expected to play a large role.

Outside of “Next Goal Wins,” there hasn’t been a ton of opportunities for Fassbender to flex his more comedic muscles. Fans would never mistake his roles in “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame,” and the “Alien” franchise as hilarious, that’s for sure. Perhaps the most comedic role we’ve seen the actor in is the film “Frank,” where he spent the film wearing an oversized mask.

Another bit of news that Waititi let drop in his exchange with Buchanan is the fact that he has the answer to the lingering question left by “The Mandalorian” — what is the name of The Child, aka Baby Yoda?

“He’s not named Baby Yoda!” he said. “I’ll wait for [Jon] Favreau to give that away.”

Clearly, it’s going to be Yoda Palpatine.

I also asked Taika about Baby Yoda, since he directed the MANDALORIAN finale. “He’s not named Baby Yoda!” Taika insisted. There is a name yet to be revealed, and Taika knows it but won’t hint. “I’ll wait for Favreau to give that away.”

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) January 6, 2020