At 83-years-old, there isn’t much that Ridley Scott has left to accomplish in his career. Even now, at an age where many filmmakers are content to collect their lifetime achievement awards, Scott continues to produce some of his most ambitious and far-reaching work. So when Scott recently admitted that he has his eye on directing a musical, one has to figure even the most jaded Las Vegas bettors would err heavily in his favor.
During a roundtable discussion promoting “The Last Duel” at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, Scott was asked to discuss his penchant for moving easily between historical features and science fiction. In his response, Scott noted that he’s most interested in the work that feels most fresh. “I tend to look for material that I haven’t done before,” the director explained. “I’m constantly looking for something that is fresh and different. I’ve never done a musical. I’ve never done a western. So I’m looking for that now.”
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As the discussion unfolded — and his fellow panelists lightly joked about working with Scott on a musical — the director took the opportunity to talk up a few of his personal favorites. “The best musicals for me have always been ‘All That Jazz‘ and ‘Cabaret,'” the director noted, a nod to director Bob Fosse‘s influence on both the film and theater industries. “Gene Kelly was an athlete. So was Fred Astaire. And when you see those guys do it then, it is never that good until ‘Cabaret’ and ‘All That Jazz.'”
While Scott might be best known as a blockbuster filmmaker in the truest sense, he’s proven himself capable of comedy in films like “Matchstick Men,” where he directed both Sam Rockwell and Nic Cage in some of their lightest work to date. While Scott continues to have plenty of projects in development — including ‘Kitbag,’ his Napoleon biopic that will feature Joaquin Phoenix as the famous French general — here’s hoping there’s still room for a little song and dance on the docket.