Kiwi filmmaker Taika Waititi teases acting spot in new Star Wars TV series

Kiwi filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi may appear onscreen in a new Star Wars spin-off TV series. Photo / Getty Images.

Taika Waititi looks set to star in an upcoming Star Wars TV series, if social media–fuelled speculation is on the money.

The quirky Kiwi filmmaker and actor yesterday appeared in a cryptic Instagram post from friend and Hollywood heavyweight Jon Favreau, director of the Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian.

Waititi has already been enlisted to direct at least one episode, but it now appears he'll also be claiming an acting spot in the show, which is scheduled for release sometime next year.

View this post on Instagram

Why isn't anyone talking about that weird IRON-MANdolorian helmet.

A post shared by Taika Waititi (@taikawaititi) on Mar 23, 2019 at 8:40pm PDT

Favreau's post is without a caption but features a photo of Waititi speaking into a microphone in a voiceover booth, while standing in front of a screen featuring the droid bounty hunter character IG-88.

Eagle-eyed Star Wars fans would have noticed a Mandalorian helmet also sitting in the booth, similar to that worn by the iconic character Bobba Fett.

Waititi later shared Favreau's post and added to the intrigue by commenting: "Why isn't anyone talking about that weird IRON-MANdolorian helmet."

In Star Wars mythology, both IG-88 and Bobba Fett first appear as bounty hunters in Empire Strikes Back, when they are hired by Darth Vader to track the Millennium Falcon and capture Han Solo and his crew.

Waititi's involvement as a director on The Mandalorian comes after Star Wars franchise boss Kathleen Kennedy pinpointed the 43-year-old as the perfect candidate.

"I would love for him to direct a Star Wars movie," Kennedy told Newshub during promotional duties for the 2017 film The Last Jedi in Tokyo.

"I think he has exactly the right sensibility. It was very exciting to see him step into the Marvel universe and do such an amazing job with Thor."