Ridley Scott on the state of cinema and directing a superhero film

Ridley Scott is certainly going to be a busy man in 2017. Starting this month with his new BBC show Taboo, which he executive produces alongside Tom Hardy (who stars) and Steven Knight, before getting busy again with the release of eagerly-anticipated sequels Alien: Covenant (his one directing gig) and Blade Runner 2049 later in the year.

Recently, Scott spoke to Digital Spy about not only his upcoming projects but also some that he has passed on, including superheroes movies. The director’s projects over the years make him something of a perfect candidate for the genre but he has said that they don’t appeal to him at all, particularly after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, saying:

“Superhero movies are not my kind of thing – that’s why I’ve never really done one… [I’ve been asked] several times, but I can’t believe in the thin, gossamer tight-rope of the non-reality of the situation of the superhero.”

“I’ve done that kind of movie – Blade Runner really is a comic strip when you think about it, it’s a dark story told in an unreal world. You could almost put Batman or Superman in that world, that atmosphere, except I’d have a f**king good story, as opposed to no story!”

He’s not wrong. Scott also spoke about cinema as a whole and thinks that cinema “mainly is pretty bad” while he is “concerned” for the future, saying:

“I want to keep doing cinema and I hope it doesn’t affect those of us who still keep making smart films,” he said. “I’m hoping it doesn’t affect me.”

Taboo starts on BBC One on January 7th; Alien: Covenant arrives on May 19, 2017.