'Blade Runner 2049' Director Interested in Directing Non-Saga Star Wars Film

Thanks to his work on films like Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has become one of the most acclaimed genre filmmakers of the last few years, regularly pushing the boundaries of what's expected in a film. As a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the filmmaker expressed his interest in tackling a film Star Wars film that's detached from the Skywalker Saga.

"It's something that, again it's like, I would be intrigued," Villeneuve confessed. "I don't know, it's very difficult. What is dangerous with Star Wars right now is it's become its own vocabulary. I would love to see them, I think Rogue One was a very interesting attempt to get out of the mold."

Given that the director helmed the sequel to 1982's Blade Runner, one of the most lauded sci-fi films of all time, the pressures of creating such an anticipated film are probably something the filmmaker could overcome.

Thanks to films like Rogue One and the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, Lucasfilm has shown that they're interested in fleshing out the galaxy far, far away, rather than just creating a slew of sequels.

"I think it would be a great idea to get out of there and to go on a new part of the galaxy, that I would be open to," Villeneuve pointed out.

Luckily for Villeneuve, the recent announcement that The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson was helping create an all-new trilogy of films set within the Star Wars galaxy might be just the opportunity the director needs.

Fans have yet to see the magic that Johnson brought to The Last Jedi, but clearlyhe proved his worth to the powers-that-be in order to earn the keys to the kingdom.

"We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi," Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, shared. "He's a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy."

Fans can see the next installment in the saga when The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.

[H/T Screen Rant]