Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott has revealed that he was offered a superhero movie, but he passed on the opportunity. Speaking to Deadline, Scott said he remembers responding with, “‘No thank you. Not for me.'” He didn’t say if these were Marvel or DC films, however.
Scott–who is known for movies like Gladiator, Alien, Blade Runner, and Black Hawk Down–went on to say that he’s already made a few superhero movies, at least according to his own definition.
“I think Sigourney Weaver’s a superhero in Aliens. I think Russell Crowe’s a superhero in Gladiator. And Harrison Ford is the super anti-hero in Blade Runner. The difference is, the f**king stories are better.”
Scott went on to say that he is no fan of the superhero movie genre, but said there have been a couple good Batman movies, while he’s also a fan of the 1978 original Superman.
“There’s this idolization of the superheroes, which really is just a comic strip extension. And from that, it’s very difficult to write a comic-strip story and carry it out successfully on film,” Scott said. “That said, I’m not a superhero fan, even though I used to love the comic strips. As we’ve enlarged upon our capabilities visually, I think funnily enough, everything gets less real and less real. And now it seemed to become an excuse for actors to make a lot of money on the side playing superheroes.”
Scott’s comments follow those from actor Jeremy Allen White, who recently said he’s confused by the idea that appearing in a Marvel movie is now seen by some to be the pinnacle of an actor’s career.
Scott has a number of major upcoming projects in the works, including Napoleon (November 2), which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the iconic historical leader. He’s also getting back to work on Gladiator 2 now that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over.
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