Denis Villeneuve Explains Why He Has No Interest in Making a Star Wars Film

Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve revealed why he has no interest in making a Star Wars film, and it all goes back to Return of the Jedi: "It all derailed in 1983."

Nov 28, 2024 - 05:00

Denis Villeneuve Explains Why He Has No Interest in Making a Star Wars Film

Star Wars has managed to attract some high-profile names to helm its movies and TV shows these days, but it looks like Denis Villeneuve won't be one of them.

The Dune filmmaker spoke about the subject in a recent episode of The Town podcast, revealing some of his own personal history with Star Wars. He recalled being 10 years old when A New Hope released, calling himself the "target audience": "It went to my brain like a silver bullet. I became obsessed with Star Wars."

He said he saw The Empire Strikes back "a billion times onscreen," but his taste in the series was soured with the trilogy's conclusion.

"The problem is that it all derailed in 1983 with Return of the Jedi," Villeneuve said. "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."

Still, it wasn't just the Ewoks. "Star Wars became crystallized in its own mythology, very dogmatic," he continued. "It seemed like a recipe, no more surprises. So I'm not dreaming to do a Star Wars because it feels like code is very codified."

Okay okay, but what about a Star Trek movie? No dice on that either, with Villeneuve telling the podcast, "I'm not a Trekkie."

"Star Wars became crystallized in its own mythology, very dogmatic. It seemed like a recipe, no more surprises."

While he won't be taking his own swing at a galaxy far, far away anytime soon, it's little surprise to hear that Villeneuve was a Star Wars fan. It's easy to see the influences in his sci-fi films like Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, and Frank Herbert's Dune novels that Villeneuve is adapting for the big screen served as inspiration for George Lucas when he was making Star Wars.

Elsewhere on the podcast, Villeneuve played coy when asked about a third Dune movie, not revealing anything in the way of status or potential timeline. Legendary officially confirmed it was working with the filmmaker to develop Dune 3 back in April, but we've gotten no solid updates since then.

From more from Villeneuve, read or watch him pick out his favorite shots from his most iconic movies.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.