Luc Besson rarely does things in small doses and his latest action flick Lucy starring Scarlett Johannson as a woman who inadvertently ingests a drug that gives her extraordinary abilities isn’t an exception. It has now raked in over $170 worldwide and has become the director’s most successful opener in his native France, dismounting the 1997 futuristic hoot The Fifth Element.
Despite the success Besson is adamant that a sequel will not happen any time soon. Whilst on promotion duties in Tapei – where a large portion of the movie takes place – Besson addressed the sequel talk with local media outlets: “I don’t see how we can do one. It’s not made for that…If I find something good enough, maybe I will, but for now I don’t even think about it.”
It’s refreshing to think that in this day and age – considering the sheer abundance of big screen franchises – an esteemed director isn’t keen on the idea of jumping on the bandwagon and milking a character or subject just for the sake of it. Although you can imagine if Universal keep prodding then he might have to give in. Besson hinted that the success of Lucy may also have been helped by the timing of it’s release and the fact that it came on the back of various other sequels and franchises.
“We arrived at the end of it [summer] with something totally weird and strange, so at least it gives a little bit of freshness.”
Lucy is currently in cinemas now and co-stars Morgan Freeman and Choi Min-Sik. You can read our reviews here and here.
Originally published August 21, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
