MOVIE NEWS – Denis Villeneuve has long avoided Star Wars; now he’s revealed exactly why he’s averse…

Denis Villeneuve, the Hollywood sci-fi visionary behind films like Dune and Blade Runner 2049, might seem like the perfect director for a Star Wars movie. But the thing is, he just doesn’t want to do it. While everyone, including artists, is entitled to their own opinions without any justification, Villeneuve finally gives a concrete explanation. The reason Villeneuve doesn’t want to make a Star Wars movie? The Ewoks…

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Villeneuve’s negative opinion of Star Wars was expressed on an episode of The Town podcast. The director’s opinion echoes what many Star Wars fans felt when Richard Marquand’s Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi was released – a step back from The Empire Strikes Back:

“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 traumatized by The Empire Strikes Back. I adore Star Wars.”

But how much does Villeneuve love Star Wars? Like the previous Star Wars films, Return of the Jedi was similarly well-received by critics at the time, and it was the highest-grossing film of 1983. But Villeneuve was mature enough to notice the difference in tone and scope of the third instalment of the George Lucas saga:

“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 L.A. 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, it’s very codified.”

The sci-fi director, whose latest film, Dune: Part 2, is considered a pioneer in the genre, is an obvious choice for any film with sci-fi elements. Villeneuve further cemented his reputation with his adaptations of Frank Herbert’s books and has since earned the trust of the industry. Naturally, the next question was: if Star Wars isn’t his thing, then at least Star Trek might be? Given his previous comments, this probably won’t come as much of a surprise:

“I’m not a Trekkie.”

Star Wars is out of the picture, but what’s next for Denis Villeneuve?

Denis Villeneuve has several upcoming projects lined up. Dune Messiah is the next one. He’s reportedly already writing the third instalment of the Dune franchise, but for now, he’s staying away from awards season (Dune: Part Two is already in the Oscars predictions). Villeneuve is certainly not a traditional filmmaker. He’s also hinted at the possibility of working for a streaming company in the future. It seems he’s not really interested in making something for the small screen:

“The big screen is part of the language, to share a story together, to receive the communal emotional experience of cinema in a theater. We’re not meant to be alone, we’re meant to share together… I believe the theater experience will prevail.”

Source: THR