Academy Award-nominated director Denis Villeneuve recently made headlines for his comments on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The director of Dune stated that Marvel films are just a "cut-and-paste" of one another, and have turned viewers into "zombies."
Villeneuve isn't the only tenured Hollywood director to comment on comic book films. In 2019, Martin Scorcese, one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the modern era, made the claim that these films were more like "theme parks" instead of real cinema.
Both directors' criticisms were based around the MCU, with neither of them alluding to the DCU or DC Comics. Scorcese has been quiet about the matter since his initial comments, but Villeneuve has recently opened up to give his thoughts about the DC side of the spectrum, and surprisingly, his viewpoint is different from what it was for Marvel.
Denis Villeneuve on Relating to Batman
Josh Horowitz, the host of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, posted a clip via Twitter from an interview he had with Denis Villeneuve.
Villeneuve was asked about a Batman project that was rumored to be in the works at Warner Bros. featuring him as the director. He denied the rumors, saying that he "(doesn't) remember" ever being "approached for Batman:"
"To be honest with you, I sometimes have a very bad memory, but I don't remember being approached for Batman. I think that I probably knew I’d still be busy doing Dune.”
The Dune director then went on to talk more about the character of Batman, and how he is the "only character" that he would be able to "relate to." Villeneuve also revealed that he has even spent time reading about the character, referencing the Arkham Asylum graphic novel:
"Batman would be probably the only character that I could relate to from what I read, like Arkham Asylum, or a book like that, that I got in contact with when I was an adult. It's, for me, the character that I could connect to."
Denis Villeneuve is a Batman Fan?
It's interesting that Denis Villeneuve has such a different viewpoint about superheroes or comic book films when it comes to Batman. After his comments on the MCU, it would be easy to assume that he simply isn't a fan of the genre as a whole.
Despite his comments, Villeneuve is a highly successful and acclaimed director. He has worked with Warner Bros. for many years, and having someone like him directing a Batman film would be nothing but welcome for the DC community, as well as fans of the character.
The last time a director of his caliber was at the helm of a Batman movie was Christopher Nolan with his Dark Knight trilogy, and those movies are still regarded as one of the best live-action adaptations of the Defender of Gotham.
However, it looks as if a Villeneuve-directed Batman story is not in the works, and he has not even been approached about it. With him revealing that he does have knowledge of the character through books and his comments that he has always been able to "relate" to Batman, perhaps Warner Bros. will turn to him in the future.
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