The Thor: Ragnarok and Hunt for the Wilderpeople director Taika Waititi will be teaming up with Emmy-winning director Mark Gustafson to co-direct an Anomalisa inspired animation of the infamous chimp that became best buddies with The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Bubbles.

You read that right, Bubbles is getting his own film. The chimp was adopted by Jackson back in 1988 and didn’t leave his side for a number of years, not until 2003 when the chimp became an aggressive adult like all normal chimpanzee’s and could no longer be controlled. However, Waititi has stated that this is in no way a biopic on the monkey’s life.

Bubbles Taiki Waititi Mark Gustafson

“It’s an idea that fascinates me and one I want to develop further,” said Waititi. “Most people know I’m a huge Michael Jackson fan, so the main thing for me is to make sure it’s respectful of him and his legacy. I’m not interested in making a biopic; I want to focus on telling a story that blends fact and fantasy, about an animal trying to make sense of the world.

“This film is not about Michael Jackson because that’s not a story for me to tell — or a story I’d be comfortable telling — it’s about a chimpanzee’s fascinating journey through the complex jungle of human life,” he added. “I think animation is the only way to approach a story like this. I really loved Anomalisa because it was beautiful and authentic in its meditation on loneliness. I’m really excited to be working with Dan Harmon and Starburns as we share similar sensibilities and want to tell human stories in unique and artistic ways.”

The animation is stated as being an original and offbeat coming-of-age story which will see Andrew Kortschak and Walter Kortschak of End Cue producing the stop-motion animated feature with Dan Harmon’s Starburns Industries, alongside exec producers Adamson and Lee Stobby.

This is certainly an intriguing development for Waititi, who doesn’t seem to be pigeon holing himself into any specific genre in his projects, one that we will be keeping a close eye on.