If you were hoping for an absolutely miserable Star Wars installment directed by Denis Villeneuve, you might want to sit back, as he hasn’t enjoyed the series much since 1983’s Return of the Jedi.
He briefly spoke on the matter during a recent episode of The Town podcast (via IGN), where he commented on the spell that both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back cast on him and how it was all demolished with the conclusion of the original. trilogy of films, which he thought was “a children’s comedy.”
While most people will agree that Return of the Jedi isn’t as fantastic as the previous two installments, it always includes and praises them as a satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy, so Villeneuve’s fiery performance here doesn’t. It is very common. . Also, it’s strange to completely dismiss it as “a kids’ comedy” after loving the first film, which is certainly very funny and light-hearted too. Maybe the difference is that he was no longer a kid when he watched the Ewok-filled third part.
In any case, he’s in no rush to jump into the Star Wars galaxy just yet. “Star Wars crystallized into its own mythology, very dogmatic… It seemed like a recipe, no more surprises. So I’m not dreaming of doing Star Wars because it seems like the code is very codified.” The “second part” of your comments is much more reasonable; He is not wrong to point out that one of the biggest struggles of Star Wars is trying to escape its own shadow and its past. Mind you, it’s had success over the decades by slowly but steadily expanding its galaxy and timeline, but with even more new Star Wars TV shows and movies on the horizon after a pretty busy first decade for the property. intellectual under Disney, bolder changes like Andor. They are necessary to keep things fresh.
Villeneuve’s comments also mark a change of heart when compared to what he said about the possibility of directing a Star Wars movie back in 2017: “It’s something that, again, would intrigue me… I don’t know. , it’s very difficult. The dangerous thing about ‘Star Wars’ at the moment is that it has become its own vocabulary. I would love to see them. I think ‘Rogue One’ was a very interesting attempt to break out of the mold… “I think it would be one. great idea to get out of there and go to a new part of the galaxy, which I would be open to.” While he acknowledged the same underlying problem with Star Wars, he seemed much more open about the idea back then. What’s changed?
Well, for starters, Star Wars has become more bloated since 2017, looking quite similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe model, at least on the big and small screens. That seems to be the opposite of what Villeneuve is going for even with his biggest films, like his ongoing Dune trilogy. Plus, with so many projects waiting to happen after you’re done with Frank Herbert’s sci-fi universe, it’s only natural that you don’t feel the need to jump to a completely different one with an even bigger story and a fiercer fanbase.
Still, I personally think his ‘rejection’ of what Star Wars has become (and in some ways always has been) is exactly why I think it would be quite interesting to see a Star Wars directed by Villeneuve. Andor is not the only recent project that has been a success, but it is the one that has surely attracted the most “outside” attention and has shown that the Star Wars canvas is much broader (and deeper) than one might initially think. principle. You just need to find a voice that isn’t beholden to the established canon to tell a new story… but respects it enough to collaborate within that limited environment. Tony Gilroy did exactly that with his team, and I’m sure that’s an approach Villeneuve could get behind.
It is practically confirmed that the filmmaker’s next film will be an adaptation of Dune: Messiah, the second novel in the series, and is currently dated for December 18, 2026.
