Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has always enjoyed chaos, and Brawl Stars is no different

Thor: Ragnarök and Love and thunder director Taika Waititi is certainly no stranger to mayhem—if it wasn't already apparent from his ability to take serious stories with comedic undercurrents and essentially flip the script by making comedies that tell stories instead. He has often spoken about how he can't be taken seriously, even jokingly calling himself “lazy” because he prefers to keep things simple and doesn't mind when they get messy. And yet he won an Oscar for his film adaptation of Jojo Rabbit and received many awards for his work in other fields as well. Needless to say, when he finds an environment that thrives on chaos rather than rigidity, he tends to prefer it. That's why his latest collaboration with Brawl Stars developer Supercell makes sense, and even why he enjoys playing the game in his spare time.

Brawl Stars recently launched its 101st Brawler, Najia – a launch that was accompanied by a trailer that Waititi actually wrote. Leaning on the same unpredictable energy that defines much of his film work, the animated short follows Najia through the strange, puzzle-filled world of Pyramid Quest as things quickly unravel before her. It's not a one-to-one translation of his style, but his fingerprints are clearly there, especially in how the trailer embraces the idea that things don't always go according to plan. It ultimately fits with Waititi's own view Brawl Stars as a game, which he said in a recent interview with GameRant works best when players stop trying to control everything and simply give in to the chaos.

Taika Waititi's chaotic creativity is why his Brawl Stars collaboration makes sense

Interestingly, Waititi has starred Brawl Stars for a while now, mainly as a way to connect with his kids while he's gone. That doesn't mean he hasn't enjoyed it though, as he claims it was the game's chaotic nature that drew him to it in the first place. After being introduced to the game by his brother-in-law, he quickly saw it as an experience that was perfect for him as someone who prefers things not to be neat, tidy or restrictive. When asked what has kept him coming back to the game, Waititi replied:

“I was just drawn to the chaos, to the chaotic nature of the game and the eclectic worlds and there are so many players. I was actually overwhelmed at first with so many buttons and so many options and so many this and this and this, and I was like, 'Oh, there's too many things!' and it's ok if you lose i get so hung up on winning all the time, and since i get stressed out when i lose, that's a pretty cool lesson to learn.

That perspective is not something Waititi stumbled into Brawl Stars either. Indeed, it has been a crucial part of his filmmaking for years. In movies like Thor: Ragnarök, Jojo Rabbitand even What we do in the shadowsWaititi has consistently shown a preference for stories that feel loose, unpredictable, and willing to swing at a moment's notice. His films are rarely one-dimensional in tone, too, bouncing between absurd comedy and genuine emotional weight, sometimes within the same scene, creating an experience that feels deliberately off balance to maintain audience engagement and relatability.

That unpredictability is often the point. Waititi has openly gravitated towards what he describes as disruptive or chaotic forces, using them as a creative engine rather than something to rein in. Jojo Rabbitfor example, he took one of the darkest periods in history and filtered it through satire and childish fantasy, using humor as a way to both disarm and challenge viewers. With Thor: Ragnarökapplied that same instinct to a blockbuster franchise, taking a traditionally serious character and portraying him as someone much more playful—even haphazard.

In movies like Thor: Ragnarök, Jojo Rabbitand even What we do in the shadowsWaititi has consistently shown a preference for stories that feel loose, unpredictable, and willing to swing at a moment's notice.

But that's ultimately why his collaboration with Brawl Stars makes sense. Whether he's directing a feature or writing a short animated trailer, Waitit's goal to create something that feels alive, a little messy, and open to surprise tends to remain the same. In that sense, his takeaway about Brawl Stars is not just him commenting on his experiences with the game, but almost a reflection of the same philosophy around which his work has always been built.

Waititi's love for Najia is due to how quiet she is

Interestingly, Waititi's work on Najia's launch trailer for Brawl Stars not necessarily because she's a chaotic character, but because she's a quiet one. For the acclaimed writer/director, the 101st Brawler's most endearing feature is the fact that she doesn't talk, which he confirmed when asked what he likes most about Najia:

“Her silence. She's just enigmatic, and you don't really know anything about her. And she's reliable and kind of cool, calm, but also feels impatient, takes no offense. Also, I liked that I didn't have to write a lot of dialogue for anybody because, you know, she doesn't talk. So it was amazing than that with visuals and I could just show it in that classic way. That's what drew me to her and the fact that she kind of rules this world of chaos in the chaos of the pyramid where nothing makes sense to us, but it only makes sense to her and her snakes.Also, I like female characters.

Indeed, that idea of ”showing rather than telling” has been another consistent thread throughout Waititi's career. Even in his earlier films, which What we do in the shadows or Chase the Wilderpeoplehe often uses visual humor, awkward silences, and character behavior to carry a scene rather than exposition. There's a kind of controlled looseness to those moments, where they feel like they almost hit a little closer to home than a carefully constructed exchange of dialogue might. That approach has followed him even into larger productions, where he has been known to encourage improvisation and let actors experiment with their performances rather than giving them strict boundaries under his direction.

Likewise, Najia's silence in the Pyramid Quest trailer too Brawl Stars fits perfectly with the way Waititi usually thinks about storytelling. It allows him to lean into visual storytelling and atmosphere, while letting the surrounding chaos drive the experience forward. That balance between restraint and unpredictability is something Waititi has spent years perfecting, and it's a big part of why his work, whether it's on a Hollywood film or a short game trailer, continues to stand out.