Luc Besson to shoot last film before retiring

SOFIA, March 28, 2007 (AFP) – French director Luc Besson will step behind the camera once again before retiring, he said in Sofia on Wednesday.

Besson, in Bulgaria to promote his latest film “Arthur and the Minimoys”, has previously announced that the movie, which is his 10th, would be his last.

“The thing is just that I am tired and a little dried up. There is an old saying in French: ‘If you have nothing to say, just shut up’,” 48-year-old Besson told a press conference.

“After 30 years I do not have enough strength to do another film because it is a hard job and you have to be sure to come with something fresh, not to repeat yourself.”

“Right now that is it. I am going to do ‘Arthur 2’ for sure. But that is different, it is not new, it is a continuation,” he said about what will be a sequel.

Besson’s films include “The Big Blue”, “Nikita”, and “The Professional,” and he is himself the author of the Arthur book trilogy, which features “Arthur and the Minimoys”, “Arthur and the Forbidden City” and “Arthur and the Revenge of Malthazard”.

Still, plans are never final and shooting the sequel might not be the end of his career as director after all, he said Wednesday.

“If in one week, one month, one year I feel that I have the strength, I will bother you for two more hours,” Besson said with a smile.

Subject: French news