If given a chance will Denis Villeneuve direct the Star Wars franchise? The answer is no! During his recent appearance on The Town podcast, the actor revealed why he would not jump on the Star Wars bandwagon. Having delivered blockbusters like Dune Part 1 and Part 2 in the last few years, Villeneuve was asked whether he’d join one of the biggest sci-fi franchises and he blatantly denied it.
The acclaimed filmmaker recalled being fixated on The Empire Strikes Back and watching it over and over again as a child and was heartbroken over the famously tragic ending that left Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) maimed, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) frozen, and Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) triumphant.
When Belloni noted that the plot twists of earlier movies "could never happen today, because we would all know in advance." Villeneuve agreed and said, "It all derailed in 1983," referring to the Return of the Jedi. Lately, the franchise’s fans are outraged because the latest projects have become as regular and expected as the change of season.
But the director and his friend identified that there were no surprises left in the franchise back when he was a kid. He recalled the 15-year-olds wanted to fly to LA and talk to George Lucas because they were angry.
“Even today, the Ewoks…it turned out to be a comedy for kids, and not for us. I thought Star Wars became crystallized in its own mythology, very dogmatic,” he added. This ultimately became the recipe for no surprises and unsuccess. “So no, I'm not dreaming to make a Star Wars, honestly. The code feels very codified," Villeneuve added.
