Ron Howard Turned Down Superhero Movies, Phantom Menace

During the press tour for In the Heart of the Sea, director Ron Howard has of course been talking about his process for the film. The movie, based on the true story that inspired “Moby Dick,” had a specific goal for the director, who “wanted to present them in as modern of a way as I possibly could.”

He told Happy Sad Confused podcast that to achieve that goal, he borrowed a bit from “George [Lucas]’s inspiration” in telling “a classic story while making a modern movie experience for audiences.”

In fact, Lucas has been a friend for years, and even offered Howard the chance to direct Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the first of the prequel films. “I don’t think anybody wanted to follow-up that act at the time. It was an honor, but it would’ve been too daunting,” he said.

He feels similarly toward superhero films, which he said he’s had opportunities for over the years, but continually finds himself hesitating on.

“You have to be all the way in. I was never a comic book guy,” Howard said. “I like the movies when I see them, especially the origin stories. I never felt like I could be on the set, at 3 o’clock in the morning, tired, with 10 important decisions to make, and know, intuitively, what the story needs. For me, I’d be copycatting and not inventing. I’ve never said yes to one.”

h/t: slashfilm