Denis Villeneuve is nixing any of the rumors that claimed he’d be willing to commit cinematic hara-kiri by helming a Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm’s Kathy Kennedy. Wise decision.
While guesting on Matt Belloni’s The Town podcast, Villeneuve confesses having fallen out of love with Star Wars many years ago. The filmmaker added that the franchise hasn’t been the same since 1983’s ‘Return of the Jedi.’
“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,” he said. “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.”
“The problem is that it all derailed in 1983 with “Return of the Jedi,” he continued. “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. … Star Wars became crystallized 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.”
I’m not arguing with Villeneuve’s points here, Star Wars hasn’t been great for quite some time, but the shade thrown at ‘Return of the Jedi’ is unfair. Sure, those cutesy little Ewoks didn’t bring much good to the story, but it sure beats the Star Wars movies that came soon after it.
Lucas tried to make amends with his Star Wars prequels ("Phantom Menace," "Attack of the Clones," and "Revenge of the Sith"), but they didn’t exactly land with movie fans. It turned out that something far worse than Ewoks was in store for us, and its name was Jar Jar Binks.
With that said, there is a subculture that absolutely adores the prequels, including the likes of James Cameron and … Kanye West. Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the prequels, was recently interviewed and claimed that, despite the “bumpy ride” he experienced during the time of their release, the prequel trilogy is now being reappraised by fans, and is turning beloved ..
Here’s what’s actually happening. There are so many fans genuinely upset, even furious, with how the last Star Wars Disney trilogy turned out, putting a major dent on the entire franchise, that they would much rather rewatch Lucas’ original prequels on repeat. It’s pure nostalgia.
Of course, Lucas agrees with Christensen, Cameron, Hamill and Kanye. The filmmaker mentioned in a recent book, “The Star Wars Archives 1999-2005,” that the criticisms the films garnered were not warranted, and that he’s incredibly proud of what he accomplished (via NME)