Martin Scorsese is far from the only filmmaker to share his disdain for superhero movies, though there are also plenty of filmmakers who simply aren't interested in the genre.
Alien and Napoleon director Sir Ridley Scott can be counted among them. Talking to Deadline about his latest historical epic, it was put to the filmmaker that most moviegoers are now more interested in TikTok and superheroes, prompting him to share his take on what the latter genre brings to the table.
"There’s this idolization of the superheroes, which really is just a comic strip extension," Scott says. "And from that, it’s very difficult to write a comic-strip story and carry it out successfully on film. That said, I’m not a superhero fan, even though I used to love the comic strips."
"I think there’s a couple of pretty good Batmans, and that Superman movie by Dick Donner captured the tradition of the comic strip. As we’ve enlarged upon our capabilities visually, I think funnily enough, everything gets less real and less real," he continues. "And now it seemed to become an excuse for actors to make a lot of money on the side playing superheroes."
Asked if he's ever been offered a superhero project, Scott responded, "Yeah, been offered, but just said, no, thank you. Not for me. I’ve done two or three superhero films. I think Sigourney Weaver’s a superhero in Aliens. I think Russell Crowe‘s a superhero in Gladiator. And Harrison Ford is the super anti-hero in Blade Runner."
"The difference is, the f*cking stories are better," he concluded.
That's fighting talk, though we're far more intrigued to know which superhero projects he's turned down over the years!
This isn't the first time he's made comments along these lines, of course, as Scott drew the ire of comic book fans back in 2021 when he was quoted as saying, "The best films are driven by the characters, and we’ll come to superheroes after this if you want, because I’ll crush it. I’ll f***ing crush it. They’re f***ing boring as s***."
"Their scripts are not any f***ing good...why don’t the superhero movies have better stories? Sorry. I got off the rail, but I mean, c’mon. They’re mostly saved by special effects, and that’s becoming boring for everyone who works with special effects, if you’ve got the money."
So, that takes him off the list of contenders to join the DCU or helm the next Avengers movie then! It's a shame in many ways as there are likely many characters who would benefit from his expertise behind the camera. He's not interested, though, and feels he's had his "superhero" fix.