“I like to be in control”: the movie Ridley Scott said he was too dangerous to direct
Any filmmaker that’s been in the business as long as Ridley Scott wields a great deal of power over their productions, especially when they’ve produced the sort of results that he has.
Even if he weren’t responsible for a wide-ranging array of award-winning classics, beloved favourites, and box office smash hits, his work ethic alone would keep him in the good books of every studio. He never exceeds his budget or over the allotted schedule, and he’s rapid enough to regularly shoot two movies in the same year.
Throw in four Academy Award nominations, two Primetime Emmy wins, a pair of Baftas, and a Golden Globe, not to mention a filmography that includes ‘Best Picture’ winner Gladiator, crime drama Thelma & Louise, war thriller Black Hawk Down, multiple historical epics, and several biographical dramas, and he’s undoubtedly one of the hardest-working and driven directors in the business.
Scott will forever be intertwined with sci-fi more than any other genre, though, which is par for the course when he helmed two of its greatest-ever offerings. His second and third features were Alien and Blade Runner, and there’s not a shred of self-congratulations or ego to be found when he named them among the best of all time when it’s about as close to an ironclad fact as cinema can offer.
Even his lesser efforts have been successes, with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant doing decent business at the box office, while The Martian cleared $600million in ticket sales and earned seven Oscar nominations, including ‘Best Picture’. One of Scott’s favourite sci-fi flicks is George Lucas’ original Star Wars, but he isn’t interested in playing in the sandbox he loves so much.
Following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, he was floated as a potential candidate to take the reins on what would ultimately become J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens, with other contenders including Brad Bird, David Fincher, Matthew Vaughn, Ben Affleck, Jon Favreau, and Guillermo del Toro.
However, when asked by Vulture if he ever saw himself heading into a galaxy far, far away, the veteran didn’t think he was the type of filmmaker the Mouse House would even entertain. “No, no. I’m too dangerous for that because I know what I’m doing,” he said. “I think they like to be in control, and I like to be in control myself.”
The most recent Star Wars trilogy felt like it was cobbled together by a committee more than being the singular work of its director, and Scott isn’t shy about voicing opposition to things he doesn’t care for or agree with. He’s far too experienced and strong-headed to bow to the whims of the boardroom, so the only way he’d ever agree to it was if he was given complete and unlimited freedom, which he was all too aware he’d never be awarded.
