Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve was born in 1967; his filmography also includes plenty of forays into the futuristic and extraterrestrial. (Plus whatever you’d like to classify Enemy as.) Knowing his age and penchant for ambitious science fiction, you might expect Villeneuve to be a Star Wars fan — but as it turns out, the acclaimed director had some issues with the original trilogy.
In an interview with Matt Belloni on Puck’s podcast The Town, Villeneuve shared some candid memories of watching the original films in his youth. “I adore Star Wars,” Villeneuve said. “The problem is that it all derailed in 1983, with Return of the Jedi.” He recalled a moment from his teenage years, when he and a friend watched the film and debated the merits of heading to Los Angeles to confront George Lucas over it.
“We were so angry,” Villeneuve told Belloni. “Still, today, the Ewoks… It turned out to be a comedy for kids.” He went on to argue that the series was “crystallized in its own mythology,” and held very little interest for him as a filmmaker. So if you’ve ever wondered what a Denis Villeneuve-directed entry in the Star Wars universe might look like, you may well be waiting for a very long time.
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The actor is campy, terrifying and a total delight as Feyd-RauthaAs The Hollywood Reporter‘s James Hibberd pointed out, Villeneuve shared more about his plans and ambitions in the conversation with Belloni. It is interesting to see Villeneuve cite Return of the Jedi as being a bridge too far for him. Perhaps there’s a general antipathy between directors who have adapted Dune and Star Wars‘s sixth episode. Decades ago, David Lynch was approached to direct Return of the Jedi but ultimately passed on the film. Which begs the question: what does Alejandro Jodorowsky make of Return of the Jedi?
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