Would Denis Villeneuve direct the Star Wars franchise if given the chance? The answer is no! During his recent appearance on The Town podcast, the actor revealed why he won’t be jumping on the Star Wars bandwagon. After delivering blockbusters like Dune Part 1 and Part 2 over the years, Villeneuve was asked if he would be joining one of the biggest sci-fi franchises and he flatly denied it.
The acclaimed filmmaker recalled being fascinated by The Empire Strikes Back and watching it over and over again as a child and being heartbroken over the famously tragic ending that left Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) crippled, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and released Darth Vader. (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) Victorious.
When Belloni said that changes to the plot of the previous films “could never happen today, because we would all know that already.” Villeneuve agreed and said, “It all went off the rails in 1983,” referring to Return of the Jedi. Lately, fans of the franchise have been angry as the latest projects have become as routine and expected as season changes.
But the director and his friend recognized that there were no surprises left in the franchise from when they were kids. He recalled that 15-year-old kids wanted to fly to LA and talk to George Lucas because they were angry.
“Even today, Ewoks…it turns out to be a comedy for kids, not for us. I thought Star Wars had become entrenched in its own mythology, too dogmatic,” he added. This ultimately became a recipe for no surprises and failure. “So no, honestly, I’m not dreaming of making Star Wars. The code seems very codified,” Villeneuve said.
