Denis Villeneuve has revealed why he would never write or direct a Star Wars film.
In a podcast appearance, the celebrated filmmaker explained that he believes the franchise got derailed in 1983 with the Richard Marquand-directed Return of the Jedi.
“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,” the Dune director told Matthew Belloni on The Town podcast.
“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.”
“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.”
“Star Wars became crystallized 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,” he continued.
As far as the other popular science fiction franchise Star Trek is concerned, Villeneuve has a simpler answer: “I’m not a Trekkie.”
The Oscar-nominated director is reportedly developing Dune Messiah, the third and final entry in that franchise. The film will be an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s second book Dune Messiah, and will be developed by Legendary Pictures.
The first two Dune films starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya received critical acclaim upon release, with Dune: Part Two grossing over $631m worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2024.
The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey in her five star review describes Dune: Part Two as “a work of total sensory and imaginative immersion”.
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“As precious as the spice of Arrakis itself, it’s the ultimate payoff to 2021’s great gamble, when filmmaker Denis Villeneuve chose to adapt half of Frank Herbert’s foundational sci-fi novel, with no guarantee a sequel would ever be made. Despite its release at the height of the pandemic, with a same-day launch on streaming services, Part One earned a hefty $400m (£317m) at the box office and 10 Oscar nominations.”
The Dune series, an adaption of Herbert’s best-selling science fiction novels, follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet) as his family is thrown into a war for the inhospitable desert planet Arrakis. The ensemble cast also features Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.
