Yahoo Lifestyle Denis Villeneuve lost interest in “Star Wars” after “Return of the Jedi”: 'It all derailed in 1983'
Yes, the "Dune" director hated Ewoks that much. "It became like a recipe, and there were no more surprises," he says.
Denis Villeneuve has directed two big-screen blockbusters based on Dune, and he is currently trying to make a third film. But fans shouldn't expect the filmmaker to jump ship anytime soon to one of pop culture's other biggest sci-fi franchises. In a recent podcast interview, Villeneuve declared that he has no interest in making a Star Wars movie. In fact, he lost all interest in the long-running franchise after only its third installment.
As Villeneuve recounted to Matthew Belloni on the latest episode of The Town podcast, he was entranced by the first two Star Wars movies. In particular, he watched The Empire Strikes Back over and over again as a child, transfixed by the famously bummer ending that leaves Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) maimed, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) frozen, and Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) seemingly triumphant. Belloni noted that plot twists like those "could never happen today, because we would all know in advance."
But for Villeneuve, all of that hype changed with the follow-up film, Return of the Jedi. The conclusion to George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy sees Luke finally triumph over Vader and the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid), but also features more kid-friendly elements like the adorable Ewoks.
"It all derailed in 1983," the Dune director said.
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Gilbert Flores/ Deadline via Getty; Lucasfilm
Denis Villeneuve in 2024; Warwick Davis as Ewok leader Wicket in 'Return of the Jedi'Today, Star Wars fans being outraged about the latest Star Wars project is as regular and expected as the change of seasons. But young Villeneuve and his friends were early on that trend.
"I was like 15 years old. My best friend and I wanted to take a cab to L.A. and talk to George Lucas," Villeneuve recalled. We were so 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. It became like a recipe, and there were no more surprises. So no, I'm not dreaming to make a Star Wars, honestly. The code feels very codified."
Related: Dune: Part 2 director reveals the most painful choice he had to make for his adaptation
Even beyond Star Wars, Villeneuve said he has little interest in doing more franchise films after Dune. Bringing Frank Herbert's work to screen has been enough, and before that, he directed the long-awaited Blade Runner sequel based on the original Ridley Scott film. Villeneuve's 2016 sci-fi film Arrival (which earned him his first and so far only Oscar nomination for Best Director) was based on a short story by Ted Chiang — fans might do well to expect more projects like that from Villeneuve's post-Dune career.
"Honestly, in a lifetime, if you do a series three movies, as I might do a third one, it's enough," Villeneuve said. "After that, I might like to go back to original content or books that I love."
Listen to the full interview on The Town above.
