Ridley Scott might’ve established himself as a sci-fi master with Blade Runner, made his mark in adventure movie canon with Thelma & Louise, and dabbled in dramatic biopics with the upcoming House of Gucci, but there’s one film genre he can’t seem to get on board with: superhero blockbusters. In a new interview with Deadline, the renowned The Last Duel director voiced his gripes against that category, deeming them “fucking boring as shit.”
Scott somehow got on the topic of big-screen superheroes while talking about Kitbag — his forthcoming film based on Napoleon Bonaparte — and how his idol, Stanley Kubrick, was never able to finish the epic Napoleon film he aspired to make. “I feel you can’t do Napoleon in one battle,” Scott said. “So, I narrowed it down to this [narrowed-down script]. Almost always, the best films are driven by the characters, and we’ll come to superheroes after this if you want, because I’ll crush it. I’ll fucking crush it. They’re fucking boring as shit… Their scripts are not any fucking good.”
Scott does have a broad definition of “superhero,” however; he acknowledged that his 1979 masterpiece, Alien, positioned star Sigourney Weaver as a superhero of sorts. “I think I’ve done three great scripted superhero movies,” he continued, also citing 2000’s Gladiator. “So, why don’t the superhero movies have better stories? Sorry. I got off the rail, but I mean, c’mon. They’re mostly saved by special effects, and that’s becoming boring for everyone who works with special effects, if you’ve got the money.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Scott alluded to his potential Gladiator sequel, as well as his desire to direct a Western. But if you were hoping he’d pull a Chloé Zhao and try out a Marvel film for size, well… Don’t hold your breath. Scott’s next movie, the Lady Gaga and Adam Driver-starring House of Gucci, arrives November 24th. Revisit the trailer now.
