George Lucas vetted several options before roping in Richard Marquand to helm Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. Some directors were not interested in directing Lucas’s epic space film, while the creator rejected a few others. One of the directors whom Lucas didn’t want for the film was the Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven.
While he was a director with a vision, Verhoeven was known for including graphic scenes depicting violence and s*xual content in his films. Lucas wasn’t impressed by these scenes in one of the director’s films and decided to look for another director.
George Lucas Didn’t Want Paul Verhoeven To Direct Return Of The Jedi
Paul Verhoeven worked in the Dutch film industry in his earlier years before moving to Hollywood. Fans of the film Basic Instinct will have an idea about the kind of films that Verhoeven makes. Steven Spielberg saw his Dutch film, Soldiers of Orange, and was impressed with his filmmaking skills.
Spielberg didn’t seem to mind the graphic violence in the film, but that wasn’t the case when he suggested the director to George Lucas. The Star Wars director needed another filmmaker to take over the directing duties of Return of the Jedi. Irvine Kreshner, who directed the previous film The Empire Strikes Back, refused to return due to the long shoots.
Lucas’s first choice was the Jaws director after having worked with him in Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, Lucas was having issues with the DGA and the guild banned Spielberg from helming a non-guild film (via Grantland). The Schindler’s List director suggested Paul Verhoeven during this time.
Lucas had seen the director’s Dutch film Spetters, which contained a very graphic homosexual gang r*pe scene. It might have disturbed Lucas as he quickly dismissed Spielberg’s suggestion.
During a cover story for The Guardian, Verhoeven opened up about Lucas’s rejection. He was convinced that the director was scared that he would add graphic scenes to his beloved space opera. He told The Guardian:
I suppose he was scared that the Jedi would immediately start f*cking each other.
Verhoeven was a controversial figure as Sharon Stone opened up about his questionable behavior during the post-production of Basic Instinct in her memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice. She shared that she was shocked to see her v*gina scene with a group of male agents and lawyers in a room.
After the embarrassing screening, she allegedly slapped Verhoeven in the face and left (via Vanity Fair). The director denied her choices when she revealed that she had options to remove the scene. However, Stone eventually chose to keep the scene in the film, only because it fit the film and her character.
David Lynch Was Also Approached For George Lucas’s Return Of The Jedi
While George Lucas rejected Verhoeven, there were directors who turned down Lucas’s offer. The most prominent among them was David Lynch. The director was nominated for the Best Director Oscar for The Elephant Man at the time.
During an event organized by The Hudson Union Society, Lynch shared that he had “next door to zero interest” in directing the film. Lynch knew that his vision would clash with Lucas and that the latter had the upper hand in these creative decisions. He went on to direct Dune after rejecting Lucas’s offer.
David Cronenberg also declined Lucas’s offer and he recently revealed the reason to Variety. He shared that he didn’t want to work on other people’s material at that point.
Richard Marquand was finally fixed as the director, but he too faced what Lynch and Cronenberg feared. He jokingly shared, “It is rather like trying to direct King Lear – with Shakespeare in the next room!” (via WhatCulture). Lucas reasoned that he had to be on set due to the director’s relative inexperience with special effects.
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi and other films in the franchise are now available for streaming on Disney+.
