Taika Waititi's anti-hate satire Jojo Rabbit has executives at Disney concerned it'll alienate the company's fans, according to a report.
The Kiwi filmmaker's Nazi comedy was produced by indie studio Fox Searchlight, which was recently acquired by The Walt Disney Company as part of its takeover of 20th Century Fox.
- Hitler rants about Taika Waititi in hilarious new Jojo Rabbit promo
- Taika Waititi says Hitler role in Jojo Rabbit is 'confronting'
A report from Variety recounts how Disney is unhappy with Fox's recent financial performance and claims Waititi's "wacky Hitler drama" has executives obviously uncomfortable.
"The scathing takedown of Nazism may, however, prove a little too edgy for Disney brass accustomed to producing movies suitable for parents and kids," reports Variety's Matt Donnelly and Brent Lang.
"Searchlight has started to screen the film for its new parent company. Halfway through one recent viewing one executive grew audibly uncomfortable, worrying aloud that the material would alienate Disney fans.
"His unease may have been over the film's cutting-edge satire, but it was also an expression of the culture clash taking place as the two studios embark on their new union."
Waititi wrote and directed the movie, in which he stars as a goofy version of Adolf Hitler, who is the imaginary friend of a young boy in Nazi-era Germany.
The Hunt for the Wilderpeople filmmaker has expressed delight that his new film will "piss off a lot of racists".
"I couldn't be more excited to finally ridicule Nazis and their beliefs," he said.
"What better way to insult Hitler than having him portrayed by a Polynesian Jew?"
JoJo Rabbit is set to open in New Zealand cinemas on October 24.
Newshub.
