Star Wars Could Be Fixed By One Sci-Fi Director

Disney can churn out as many Disney+ series’ as it wants, but it will never change the fact that Star Wars belongs in the cinema. That’s where it was born and where it still thrives—when executed correctly. Judging by his past work, Denis Villeneuve would nail that execution.

For one thing, given how “similar” Star Wars and Dune are, it wouldn’t take much for the director to grasp the franchise’s signature style. The only big difference between the Tusken Raiders and the Fremen is that the Tuskens don’t show any part of their face—and conceivably don’t consume their own waste either, easily the nastiest aspect of Dune—otherwise, they’re practically interchangeable designs. That’s just one example, though.

Obviously, if Denis Villeneuve were to make a Star Wars film, he would probably avoid setting it in a desert locale, considering his last two movies took place in the desert. The setting is really inconsequential. It’s the sense of scale, the grandness that Villeneuve brings to science fiction, that really shows he’s more than equipped to tell a tale set in a galaxy far, far away.

With Denis Villeneuve behind the camera, Star Destroyers would look larger than ever before. Storm Troopers would go from bumbling canon fodder to soldiers of the Empire, driving fear into the hearts of anyone dumb enough to oppose them. We don’t know what era the director would choose to set his hypothetical film in, but we can only imagine how intimidating he would make Darth Vader.

When Blade Runner 2049 was announced, fans of the original were skeptical. How do you make a sequel to a sci-fi classic? Not only did Denis Villeneuve deliver, but his Blade Runner sequel is considered by some fans to be better than the original film. That’s how powerful Villeneuve’s visuals are and how compelling his characters come across.

Imagine a Star Wars movie with the scope of Dune: Part Two, and you’ll understand why we love the concept so much. Lightsaber duels have gotten more elaborate and acrobatic over the years, but imagine a duel with the intensity of the one between Paul and Feyd-Rautha from Dune: Part Two. It would be less about theatrics and more about two combatants trying desperately to end each other.

Star Wars has never lacked strong visuals. Denis Villeneuve, however, could take the already amazing visuals to the next level. Imagine him directing something like the Battle of Hoth the way he directed Dune. It would be mindblowing.

The best part is that Villeneuve himself isn’t opposed to the idea. In a 2017 podcast, the director revealed that he would be “open to” directing a movie set in the Star Wars universe—provided that it took place apart from the Skywalker saga. We assume he means something more akin to Rogue One or Solo than the mainline Star Wars films, and we are totally open to it.

We would suggest putting Denis Villeneuve in charge of a Knights of the Old Republic movie. A full-scale conflict between the Sith army and the Old Republic with the Jedi caught in the middle would be right up Villeneuve’s ally after Dune.

Honestly though, we’d be willing to sit through Jar Jar: Origins if it meant getting to watch Denis Villeneuve play around in George Lucas’s sandbox.