Denis Villeneuve Doesn't Want To Direct a STAR WARS Movie Be RETURN OF THE JEDI Derailed The Franchise

While Denis Villeneuve has talked about being inspired by Star Wars because it was one of his favorite movies as a kid, he has no desire to partner up with Lucasfilm to direct a film in the franchise.

During an interview with The Town podcast, the director of Dune said that working on a Star Wars movie is not a dream of his because Return of the Jedi derailed the franchise. That movie ruined it for him.

He explained: “I was the target audience. I was 10 years old. It went to my brain like a silver bullet. I became obsessed with Star Wars, I mean, The Empire Strikes Back is the movie that I anticipated the most in my life. I saw the movie a billion times onscreen. I was traumatized by The Empire Strikes Back. I adore Star Wars.”

He went on to explain: “The problem is that it all derailed in 1983 with Return of the Jedi. 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.”

Villeneuve goes on to argue that after Return of the Jedi, the Star Wars franchise “became crystalized in its own mythology, very dogmatic, 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.”

When asked about the possibility of taking on Star Trek, the director said, “I’m not a Trekkie.”

The first Star Wars movie I ever saw was Return of the Jedi. I saw it at the Drive-In movies with my parents and I was 4 years old. I still remember watching that movie and being in awe of what I was watching. That’s my experience with it, anyway.

Villeneuve doesn't need to make a Star Wars movie as he’s been working on other big sci-fi franchises like Dune and Blade Runner. Those films that he made are awesome and I’m sure he’ll continue to make great movies that fans will enjoy.