DirectorRidley Scotthas put together quite the interesting year, directing both 20th Century Fox’sAlien Covenantand Sony’sAll the Money in the World, the latter of which hit theaters on Christmas Day. While promoting the film, the director was asked if he had ever been asked to make aStar Warsmovie, and the filmmaker had a rather interesting response. Here’s what he had to say.
“No, no. I’m too dangerous for that. Because I know what I’m doing. [Laughs.] I think they like to be in control, and I like to be in control myself. When you get a guy who’s done a low-budget movie and you suddenly give him $180 million, it makes no sense whatsoever. It’s f—in' stupid. You know what the reshoots cost? Millions! Millions. You can get me for my fee, which is heavy, but I’ll be under budget and on time. This is where experience does matter, it’s as simple as that! It can make you dull as dishwater, but if you’re really experienced and you know what you’re doing, it’s f—ing essential. Grow into it, little by little. Start low-budget, get a little bit bigger, maybe after $20 million, you can go to $80. But don’t suddenly go to $160.”
While Ridley Scott doesn’t actually mention any names, it seems he was addressing the departure offormer Star Wars 9 director Colin Trevorrow, who did in fact go from a low-budget indie movie, his feature directorial debut,Safety Not Guaranteed, to an epic blockbuster, 2015’sJurassic World, which lead toStar Wars 9. While Ridley Scott’s work ethic is something that theStar Wars franchisecould desperately need, the director seems to be hinting that his need to “be in control” would likely lead to clashes with LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and it’s those very clashes that lead to the sudden departures/firings ofSolo: A Star Wars Storydirectors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, andStar Wars 9director Colin Trevorrow.
It seems clear that LucasFilm wants to secure the future of this franchise by going back to filmmakers they know they can trust. AfterColin Trevorrow was fired from Star Wars 9, there were rumors that Rian Johnson was going to return to direct the final installment of this new trilogy, but the studio ended up bringing backStar Wars: The Force Awakensdirector J.J. Abrams. Shortly thereafter, LucasFilm announced a brand newStar Wars trilogy. Still, beyond that, there have been no future plans for otherStar Warsmovies that have been announced yet.
Star Wars: The Last Jediis well on its way to taking the top-grossing spot of the year, taking in $395.6 million thus far domestic, $396 million international for a worldwide total of $791.6 million, after just over a week in theaters. At this rate, it should be just a matter of time before it surpasses the $504 million domestic and $1.2 billion mark set byBeauty and the Beastfor the top-grossing film this year. You can head on over toVulturefor their full interview with Ridley Scott, which includes his thoughts onAll the Money in the World.
