“There’s Nothing Worse Than Getting A Perfect Script”: Why Ridley Scott Prefers Making Movies With Scripts That Have Issues

Ridley Scottexplains during a recent theater director ' roundtable why it ’s better to begin a project with a script that is n’t quite perfect . Now 87 years erstwhile , Scott is one of the most prolific and well-thought-of filmmaker in Hollywood , rising to fame with movies likeAlien(1978 ) andBlade Runner(1980 ) . In the age since , Scott has direct a phone number of illustrious title , includingThelma & Louis(1991),Gladiator(2000 ) , andBlack Hawk Down(2001 ) .

The more recent decades of Scott ’s calling have been filled with ups and Down , and quite a spate that lives in the midriff . In the mid-2000s , Scott exhaust moving picture likeKingdom of Heaven(2005),American Gangster(2007),Body of Lies(2008 ) , andRobin Hood(2010 ) , none of which now stand among his expert . Though movies likePrometheus(2012 ) andThe Martian(2015 ) were successful , Alien : Covenant(2017 ) was widely perceived as a let - down , and this was followed byThe Last Duel(2021 ) andHouse of Gucci(2021 ) , andNapoleon(2023 ) , all of which had sundry receptions .

Ridley Scott Prefers Taking On Flawed Scripts

The Filmmaker Outlines One Key Benefit Of Not Working With Perfect Screenplays

Scott has a few modest screenwriting credits , buthe is mostly a conductor , taking on projects from other writer and bringing them to biography on the big blind . Gladiator 2 , for object lesson , his most recent movie , hails from screenwriter David Franzoni , Peter Craig , and David Scarpa . Scott also form with Scarpa onNapoleon , his blemished Apple Studios epic starring Joaquin Phoenix . The Last Duel , on the other script , which was a hit with critics , was take over from a playscript by Nicole Holofcener , Matt Damon , and Ben Affleck .

With Gladiator II as his most late hit , it ’s worth revisiting the best movies of fabled director Ridley Scott to see where it stack up .

DuringTHR ’s late directors ' roundtable upshot with filmmakers Denis Villeneuve , Brady Corbet , Coralie Fargeat , Edward Berger , and RaMell Ross , Scott explain how a double-dyed script can sometimes be a bad thing . According to Scott , take on a less - than - perfect script have in mind collaborator on a project often stay more on their toe due to the piece of work required instead of becoming self-complacent . Read Scott ’s full comment below :

Russell Crowe from Gladiator, Sigourney Weaver from Alien and Harrison Ford from Blade Runner

“ It ’s always good to be on lean ice-skating rink because that means you ’re paying attention . There ’s nothing worse than getting a sodding handwriting and everyone relaxes . And then you put it together and somehow it ’s dull . But you get a script that require a chip of work and everyone ’s paying attention . I would n’t try this , by the mode , but the weaker the hand does n’t intend it ’s the better the film , but everyone is really paying care . ”

What Ridley Scott Taking On Flawed Scripts Means For His Movies

The Director’s Recent Track Record Has Been Spotty

Scott has a number of in truth iconic plastic film under his belt , but the last few old age of his career , especially , have seen him give up picture that do n’t always fare well critically . Sometimes , critics highlight the script as a central subject . TheGladiator 2castand battle sequences may be telling , for example , but it arguably falls short when it add up to the storytelling in the script . The same could be said forNapoleon , which struggles to paint a full portrait of the French military drawing card .

prizefighter 2has a 71 % score on Rotten Tomatoes whileNapoleonhas only a 58 % .

Though it ’s not clear if Scott actually seeks out flawed scripts or if he ’s mostly just making an interesting point about the importance of remaining creatively betroth during the filmmaking process , it ’s noted that some of his late motion-picture show are let down by book number . It ’s worth noting , too , however , that attributing a disappointing pic to only one factor is often reductive and unjust , as make any picture show is a long process filled with originative decisions . In any case , it ’s clean-cut that , even at 87 , Scott is trying to delay on his toes as a conductor .