Denis Villeneuve names the riskiest film of his career (and it’s not Dune)

While he seemingly accomplished a feat, few filmmakers have done so dune to the big screen, believes director Denis Villeneuve Blade Runner 2049 Had it failed, it might have been a far more devastating blow to his career. He has made a name for himself with features, among other things Sicario And ArrivalVilleneuve brought Frank Herbert’s influential science fiction novel to the screen with a two-part adaptation, released in 2021 and 2024, respectively. While Villeneuve will end his tenure at Arakkis with one Dune: Messiah The adaptation will also see him explore the life of Cleopatra in a historical drama.

During a recent panel discussion at the BFI London Film Festival (per The Hollywood Reporter), Villeneuve explained that he had previously made a film dune scared him more than bringing Herbert’s world to life, this creature Blade Runner 2049. After preparing to tackle the sci-fi drama, Villeneuve decided that the risk would be worth it as he would both continue to put in the effort and at least be able to complete his film production end your career at a personal peak:

I used to turn down a few sci-fi films, big films, because I wasn’t greedy… But after that
Sicario,
I felt like I had the muscle to be able to do a project like this [
Blade Runner 2049
]. I said, “Okay, if I make a big sci-fi movie and risk everything, that’s nice. Making a sequel to my favorite film is a nice way to end my career.” I found it very romantic.

Furthermore, Villeneuve also admitted this He may have learned about the development of the project earlier than he perhaps should haveafter accidentally witnessing the meeting to produce the sequel, but also remembering why he was ultimately chosen over Ridley Scott, who directed it himself:

When I did
Prisoners
once [execs] stopped the meetings and said, “I’m sorry. Ridley Scott is in the next room. We shouldn’t tell you, but we’re making the sequel.”
Blade Runner
.” I said, “Wow.” Then when I did it
Sicario
I got a call… Ridley is the most prolific and busiest director. And when I direct a film, Ridley does three things. I think Harrison Ford got tired of waiting.

Other directors had similar fears

For many film enthusiasts, knowledgeable about the development of Blade Runner 2049It’s perhaps no surprise why the film was an incredible ordeal for Villeneuve. While the director had expressed his concerns about taking on the project in 2020, two other potential directors with incredible prestige had already turned down the project.

When development of the project began, Christopher Nolan was named as the original filmmaker to direct the sequelalthough the Oppenheimer The director stated that he never planned to direct in 2020. In addition, the original film director Ridley Scott even signed on to direct Blade Runner 2049 in 2011, but would leave the project to work on it Alien: Covenant. In doing so, Villeneuve took on a task that even experienced filmmakers struggled with.

Our thoughts on Villeneuve’s filmographic successes

The director has succeeded where others have failed

Before Villeneuve Dune’After publication, few believed that an adaptation could properly translate the novel to the screen. Since 1971 Various filmmakers have made their own attempts to bring the story to lifefrom Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ambitious 1970s effort to David Lynch’s now cult 1984 film, several miniseries and smaller, discarded efforts. Furthermore, the director had to face this uncertainty Dune: Part Two would even be produced with complications arising from the change in release strategies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless also with Blade Runner 2049 come up short financially, both it and dune are clear successes in the long term. Blade Runner is being expanded with a new series, and dune breaks the taboo of previous adaptations and goes beyond the rise of Paul Atriedes. Villeneuve has thus established himself as a powerful voice in modern Hollywood and proven that he is capable of tackling even the most difficult tasks.

Source: THR