DUNE Director Denis Villeneuve Explains Why He Has No Interest In Helming A STAR WARS Movie

DUNE Director Denis Villeneuve Explains Why He Has No Interest In Helming A STAR WARS Movie

Denis Villeneuve has often spoken about his love for Star Wars, but the Dune director has now explained why he has no interest in helming a movie set in that universe...

By MarkCassidy - Nov 27, 2024 06:11 PM EST
Filed Under: Dune

Dune and Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve has often mentioned being a huge Star Wars fan as a child, suggesting that George Lucas' original trilogy was an early influence on him deciding to begin a career as a filmmaker.

Even so, Villeneuve has now explained why he has no interest in directing a movie set in the galaxy far, far away.

While chatting to The Town Podcast, Villeneuve said directing a Star Wars movie simply isn't "a dream of his" because he feels Return of the Jedi derailed the franchise in 1983.

“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.”

“The problem is that it all derailed in 1983 with Return of the Jedi,” he continued. “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.”  

While a lot of Star Wars fans would likely agree with Villeneuve about ROTJ being the weakest of the trilogy, saying it derailed the entire franchise might be a little harsh.

Even if the celebrated filmmaker won't be stepping into the Star Wars franchise anytime soon, sci-fi fans can look forward to him returning to helm an adaptation of Dune: Messiah at some point.

The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on Dune: Part Two, the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning Dune. 

The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (Wonka, Call Me by Your Name), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Malcolm & Marie, Euphoria), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame, Milk), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis, Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Black Widow, Little Women), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Love and Thunder), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter,), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Léa Seydoux (James Bond, Crimes of the Future), with Stellan Skarsgård (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Assassin’s Creed), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Being the Ricardos).

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

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Forthas
Forthas - 11/27/2024, 11:10 PM
While I enjoyed Return of the Jedi, it is likely because I was just a kid. His statement underlies an undeniable truth. I think as we get older some peoples tolerance for the silly, childish aspects of those early films start to wane. This is why I can no longer consider the Christopher Reeves Superman films or Burton Batman films classics. They were great for their time and for me back then. But I can hardly watch them now without cringing at some of the attempts at humor. I think that films that will stand the test of time and are true cinema are the ones that do not try to appeal largely to juveniles.

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