James Mangold says he does not like multi-movie universe films: 'I don't do multiverses'

The "Logan" director is all about sequels though.

Sorry, Walk the Line fans. Joaquin Phoenix's Johnny Cash will not be part of A Complete Unknown, the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic that stars Timothée Chalamet.

Director James Mangold, who's behind both films, was firm when he told Rolling Stone in an interview published Wednesday, "I don't do multiverses."

The director of superhero sequels including The Wolverine, Logan, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny sounded surprised at some of the projects on his resume.

Related: See Timothée Chalamet's Bob Dylan perform "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" in A Complete Unknown trailer

Related: The 10 best movies of 2024 (so far)

"It's weird that I’ve even worked in the world of IP entertainment because I don't like multi-movie universe-building," said Mangold, who's also helmed Ford v Ferrari, Cop Land, and Girl, Interrupted. "I think it's the enemy of storytelling. The death of storytelling. It's more interesting to people the way the Legos connect than the way the story works in front of us.

"For me, the goal becomes, always, 'What is unique about this film, and these characters?' Not making you think about some other movie or some Easter egg or something else, which is all an intellectual act, not an emotional act. You want the movie to work on an emotional level."

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Chalamet feels differently, telling NME in March that he would like his Dune: Part Two costar Austin Butler, who played the King in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis in 2022, to appear in his Dylan movie.

In the case of Phoenix, the Joker: Folie à Deux star, who was nominated for an Oscar for the 2005 film, is just not right for this one.

Related: Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga bash skulls and belt songs in wickedly fun Joker: Folie à Deux trailer

"I love Joaquin, but he's not 30, or whatever Johnny was at this moment," Mangold said. "They're both young people in that moment in life."

Boyd Holbrook portrays the music legend in A Complete Unknown, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters in December.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.