Dune director Denis Villeneuve has explained why he isn’t keen on directing a Star Wars film – find out more below.
Speaking on The Town podcast, Villeneuve – who has made a name for himself in the sci-fi space with his Dune films and Arrival – revealed that he was “obsessed” with the Star Wars franchise as a kid.
He said: “I was the target audience. I was 10 years old. It went to my brain like a silver bullet. I became obsessed with Star Wars. I mean, The Empire Strikes Back is the movie that I anticipated the most in my life. I saw the movie a billion times onscreen. I was traumatised by The Empire Strikes Back. I adore Star Wars.”
However, Villeneuve’s love affair with Star Wars would quickly sour with the third entry in the franchise, Return Of The Jedi: “The problem is that it all derailed in 1983 with Return of the Jedi. It’s a long story. I was 15 years old, and my best friend and I wanted to take a cab and go to LA and talk to George Lucas — we were so angry! Still today, the Ewoks. It turned out to be a comedy for kids.”
Villeneuve then went on to explain why he isn’t interested in making a Star Wars movie: “Star Wars became crystallised in its own mythology, very dogmatic, it seemed like a recipe, no more surprises. So I’m not dreaming to do a Star Wars because it feels like code is very codified.”
The Star Wars franchise seems to have a busy scheduled laid out for the next few years though. Earlier this month, it was announced that a new trilogy is in the works from X-Men: Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg. The new films will reportedly carry on from the most recent trilogy that concluded with The Rise Of Skywalker in 2019. Episodes 10-12 will reportedly centre around new characters with a new storyline, although the return of familiar faces has not been ruled out.
Other Star Wars projects in the pipeline include five TV series and nine films outside of Simon Kinberg’s planned trilogy. For more details on all of the upcoming Star Wars projects in the work, check out NME‘s guide here.
Dune: Part Two was released earlier this year, and NME gave it a four-star review, writing: “If there’s an issue with Dune: Part Two, it’s only that the ending feels a little rushed, considering the near six-hour build-up over the past two movies. At any rate, the door is left wide open for a third instalment, and Villeneuve has already indicated his willingness to continue with an adaptation of Herbert’s sequel: Dune Messiah, should Part Two rake in enough spicy space cash, so there may well be more to come. In the meantime, make sure you see this on the biggest, loudest screen you can find.”