Cronenberg turned down directing "Return of the Jedi"

[TallGuyMe]

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/09/20/cronenbergs-aborted-job-offer-star-wars-return-of-the-jedi-directors-chair/

http://laweekly.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/force_choke_2.jpg

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[Joe Molotov]

David Lynch and David Cronenberg should have co-directed it. Hunter S. Thompson could have wrote the script, and H.R. Giger could have done the concept art.

[Suprmallet]

Yeah, imagine the Return of the Jedi that we COULD have had. Full of bizarre man/machine love and Vader using the Force to send subliminal S&M mental images to Luke.

[BJacks]

Hurray, an interview I produced made its way to DVD Talk. My life comes full circle.

Here's the bit in question:
<embed src="http://www.mtv.com/player/embed/" width="400" height="330" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" FlashVars="CONFIG_URL=http://www.mtv.com/player/embed/configuration.jhtml%3fvid%3D176909&allowFullScreen=true" allowFullScreen="true" AllowScriptAccess="never" base="."></embed>

If anyone's interested, more from Loder's chat with Cronenberg is here (http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?name=movies&id=1570030).

[KillerCannibal]

I can only imagine how it would have turned out...

Oddly enough, wasn't Lynch also considered to direct this? IIRC he mentioned before that they asked him to do it but he just wasn't interested.

[PopcornTreeCt]

I wish Kubrick had done it.

[BJacks]

I can only imagine how it would have turned out...

Oddly enough, wasn't Lynch also considered to direct this? IIRC he mentioned before that they asked him to do it but he just wasn't interested.Yup, we actually spoke to Lynch last month about "Jedi."

MTV: Is it true you almost directed "Return of the Jedi"? How close did you come?

Lynch: Not close at all. I had a meeting with George [Lucas]. I like George. It was his thing. I said, "You should direct this. It's your thing! It's not my thing."

MTV: Did he flat-out offer it to you at the time?

Lynch: Yeah!

MTV: But you immediately declined.

Lynch: I called him the next day.

[Josh-da-man]

I can only imagine how it would have turned out...

It might have a big, tooth-filled vagina in it.

[cupcake jesus]

Wasn't there some controversy between Lucas and the Directors' Guild, so that he had to find someone outside of the union to direct the Star Wars sequels? If this was true, both Cronenberg and Lynch would've had to leave the union to direct a bunch of furry midgets then be blackballed. Probably a good decision by both.

I could only imagine what Lynch would've had Darth Vader huffing under that helmet.

cheers,

-the Jesus

[DVD Josh]

BJacks, this has nothing to do with you, but DC is full of shit. There's not a chance in the almost 25 years since Jedi this information has never come out before. None, not with the cult following of these movies.

[Numanoid]

BJacks, this has nothing to do with you, but DC is full of shit. There's not a chance in the almost 25 years since Jedi this information has never come out before. None, not with the cult following of these movies.If it happened the way he described it in the above interview, who would've known other than Cronenberg and the producer that called?

[BJacks]

Why would Cronenberg make up a story like that?

[rennervision]

Actually, "Blue Harvest" sounds like a Cronenberg film to me.

[Artman]

You know we'd have gotten a Jabba and slave Leia scene....

[GreenVulture]

Why would Cronenberg make up a story like that?
Yeah, seriously. If Lucas approached David Lynch for the director's chair, what would stop him from also approaching Cronenberg (who was probably less known than Lynch back then)?

[Kal-El]

...which was a good thing.