Taika Waititi has confessed to being a time traveller after a fan noticed his likeness in an 1862 oil painting by Édouard Manet.

A man resembling the Thor: Ragnarok filmmaker with a grey beard appears in Manet's 'The Old Musician', which was pointed out on Twitter.

"How did Manet paint you 150 years ago, are you a time traveller?" asked @WorldofEnders.

The Kiwi filmmaker posted the tweet on his own timeline with a message simply stating: "Secret is out".

Other fans were quick to suggest an alternative theory by pointing out the age of Waititi's character in mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows.

The Boy filmmaker stars alongside Jemaine Clement in the 2014 film as Viago, who is not a time traveller, but a 379-year-old vampire.

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