Rebel Wilson Joins Cast of Taika Waititi Film 'Jojo Rabbit'

Rebel Wilson is joining Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell in “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi’s Nazi Germany satire, “Jojo Rabbit,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

TheWrap initially broke the news that “Jojo Rabbit” would be Waititi’s next film. He will also be stepping in front of the camera to star in the film as an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler.

The film centers around a young boy, Jojo, who struggles to fit in and resorts to his imaginary friend, Hitler, who offers advice and helps him cope. Jojo then discovers that his mother (Johansson) is secretly working for the resistance and hiding a 15-year-old Jewish girl in their house.

Also Read: Sam Rockwell Joins Cast of Taika Waititi Film 'Jojo Rabbit'

“It’s my version of… a lonely boy’s best version of his hero, which is really his dad,” Waititi told TheWrap in March.

Waititi’s depiction of Hitler won’t be meant as a sympathetic one, but rather an invention of 10-year-old Jojo, who misses his dad, and, confused by Nazi propaganda, imagines a figure who is a combination of his father and the führer.

The film, which was eyeing a late-May production start, will be distributed by 20th Century Fox’s independent division, Fox Searchlight. The release is likely to be one of the first releases under the Disney umbrella, which said in December it plans to buy the studio as part of a $52.4 billion acquisition of parts of the larger Fox empire.

Also Read: Scarlett Johansson in Talks for Female Lead in Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit'

Waititi, who also wrote the script for “Jojo Rabbit,” had break-out success with last year’s “Thor: Ragnarok.” The film earned $854 million at the worldwide box office along with critical success.

Wilson will next be seen in “The Hustle,” the comedy inspired by “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” which Wilson is also producing. She stars with Anne Hathaway for MGM and Annapurna. Wilson is producing with Roger Birnbaum, through her Camp Sugar label.

Wilson is repped by WME and attorney Warren Dern.

Deadline first reported the news about Wilson.

25 Summer Movies We're Dying to See, From 'Deadpool 2' to 'Ocean's 8' (Photos)

Summer 2018 is bringing a wealth of promising movies to the cineplex. TheWrap picked some of the buzziest that we're dying to see.
May 4: "Overboard"

A remake of the 1987 original starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, 2018's "Overboard" features Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez in reversed roles. Bob Fisher and Rob Greenberg directed.
Pantelion
May 4: "Tully"

The Charlize Theron-starrer was the secret screening at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and has been buzzy since. Mackenzie Davis, Ron Livingston and Mark Duplass also star.
May 11: "Life of the Party"

Melissa McCarthy stars as Deanna, who goes back to college after her husband unexpectedly leaves her. Maya Rudolph and Gillian Jacobs are sure to add a further level of hilarity to the film, which she co-wrote with her husband, Ben Falcone (who also directs).
New Line
May 18: "Deadpool 2"

The first "Deadpool" broke records and received stellar reviews, so we rellycan't wait for a sequel starring Josh Brolin as time-traveling mutant Cable. Oh, and Peter, who is there to help because he "saw the ad."
Fox
May 25: "Solo: A Star Wars Story"

Who isn't excited for another "Star Wars" movie, this time focusing on the young Han Solo? The stellar cast includes Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover and Emilia Clarke. And the buzz about director switchups and reshoots has raised the curiosity level.
Lucasfilm
June 8: "Ocean's 8"

Some of our favorite actresses are reprising one of our favorite franchises. The trailers have been great, and excitement for the film is on the rise. Bring it on, Sandy!
Warner Bros.
June 8: "Hotel Artemis"

A movie about a hospital that's just open for the biggest and baddest criminals? Count us in! Plus, the film boasts Jodie Foster, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, Jeff Goldblum, Jenny Slate and Sterling K. Brown.
WME Global
June 8: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

For fans of the iconic children's TV host Fred Rogers, this documentary will be a trip down memory lane.
June 8: "Hereditary"

"Hereditary" has been dubbed one of the scariest movies of all time and was a clear breakout from the Sundance Film Festival. And especially after the success of "A Quiet Place," it's clear Hollywood has an appetite for horror flicks.
A24
June 15: "Superfly"

"grown-ish" star Trevor Jackson stars in an update of the '70s blaxploitation film about a young Harlem drug-dealer, this time set in Atlanta among the thriving hip-hop scene.
Sony
June 15: "The Incredibles 2"

Fans have been waiting 14 years for the follow-up to the 2004 original. And footage at this year's CinemaCon got attendees even more amped.
Disney
June 22: "Under the Silver Lake"

Andrew Garfield returns in this crime thriller written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. His character becomes obsessed with a murder and a kidnapping. Jimmi Simpson, Riley Keough and Topher Grace also star.
A24
June 22: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"

The last film in the dino-franchise is the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time worldwide. And Chris Pratt looks to have his second blockbuster this year, after "Avengers: Infinity War."
Universal
June 29: "Sicario: Day of the Soldado"

Denis Villeneuve hands the directing reins to Stefano Sellima in this new crime thriller -- which shifts the focus to Benicio del Toro's former undercover agent in the drug wars along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Columbia
July 4: "The First Purge"

Don't we all want to know how the tradition of The Purge began? This movie looks terrifying and will make you want to look your doors at night.
Universal
July 6: "Ant-Man and the Wasp"

Let's be honest -- we're excited for any Marvel movie. Plus, early CinemaCon footage promised Evangeline Lilly will dominate the film and we really want to know why Paul Rudd's hero was MIA during "Infinity War."
Marvel
July 6: "Sorry to Bother You"

Boots Riley's sci-fi comedy sports a stellar cast including Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Patton Oswalt, Lakeith Stanfield, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun and Omari Hardwick -- and it's been on many people's radar since Sundance.
Annapurna
July 13: "Puzzle"

Kelly Macdonald shines in a rare leading role in this remake of an Argentine film about a competitive jigsaw puzzler. Like other films on this list, "Puzzle" also debuted at Sundance earlier this year to rave reviews.
Sony Pictures Classics
July 20: "Blindspotting"

Daveed Diggs’ racial drama was all anyone was talking about at Sundance earlier this year, with multiple studios embroiled in a bidding war for it until it went to Lionsgate.
July 27: "Mission: Impossible -- Fallout"

Photos and news about Tom Cruise doing crazy stunts for "Fallout" have been appearing everywhere for a while -- production was halted for months after he broke his ankle on the shoot. Plus, we were treated to Henry Cavill's CGI'd mustache in "Justice League" because of this movie, so there's a lot going for it.
Paramount
Aug. 3: "The Spy Who Dumped Me"

Who doesn't want to see Mila Kunis back in a comedy alongside one of the funniest women alive, Kate McKinnon?
Imagine Entertainment
Aug. 3: "The Miseducation of Cameron Post"

Chloe Grace Moretz stars in the film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, about a teenage girl forced into gay conversion therapy by her guardians.
Sundance
Aug. 10: "BlacKkKlansman"

Jordan Peele, Jason Blum and Spike Lee are teaming up for "BlacKkKlansman," a film that stars John David Washington as real-life Colorado Springs detective Ron Stallworth, the first African-American police officer who went undercover to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.
Getty Images
Aug. 17: "Crazy Rich Asians"

Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan and Ken Jeong star in an adaptation of Kevin Kwan's best-selling 2013 novel about a Chinese-American professor who joins her boyfriend for a wedding in high-society Singapore.
Warner Bros.
Aug. 17: "The Happytime Murders"

The film follows the puppet cast of a '80s TV show that gets murdered one by one. Tell us that doesn't sound enticing. Plus, the film sports a great cast -- Elizabeth Banks, Melissa McCarthy, Joel McHale, Maya Rudolph and Jimmy O. Yang.
STX