‘Dune’ Director Denis Villeneuve Says Marvel Movies Have ‘Turned Us Into Zombies’

“Too many Marvel movies that are nothing more than a ‘cut and paste’ of others.”

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Denis Villeneuve, the director, writer and producer behind the upcoming Dune remake, isn’t a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Roughly two years after Martin Scorsese likened the massively popular superhero movies to “theme parks” instead of “cinema,” Villeneuve is calling Marvel movies unoriginal. 

“Perhaps the problem is that we are in front of too many Marvel movies that are nothing more than a ‘cut and paste’ of others,” Villeneuve told Spanish-speaking outlet El Mundo, per IndieWire

The Hollywood Critics Association’ Director of the Decade recipient went on to explain that big-budget movies from major studios can be great if they come from proper storytellers. 

“Perhaps these types of movies have turned us into zombies a bit… But big and expensive movies of great value there are many today. I don’t feel capable of being pessimistic at all.”

This isn’t the only time that Villeneuve has spoken about the MCU while doing press for Dune, due out on HBO Max October 22. 

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Speaking to French outlet Premiere, “If we’re talking about Marvel, the thing is, all these films are made from the same mold.”

“Some filmmakers can add a little color to it, but they’re all cast in the same factory. It doesn’t take anything away from the movies, but they are formatted.”

Villeneuve has helmed some of the most acclaimed sci-fi epics in recent memory, including 2017’s Blade Runner 2049 and 2016’s Arrival, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. 

If Dune proves a success at the box office and on HBO Max, Villeneuve plans to make a sequel. 

“If such a thing as Dune: Part Two happens, I will say that it’s going to be an insane playground for me,” he told Variety. It’s going to be just like pure cinematic pleasure for the second part.”

“I don’t want to speak for everybody on the team, but I will say that we really created on this movie a feeling of family and to re-unify everybody again together, that would be paradise.”

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