Danny Boyle Won an Oscar for Directing Slumdog Millionaire. Now He Says He ‘Wouldn’t Be Able to Make That’ Today

Years after Slumdog Millionaire became an award-winning hit, its director is looking at its legacy then and now. 

“We wouldn’t be able to make that now,” said Danny Boyle, speaking to The Guardian in a recent interview about his films. “And that’s how it should be.”

His 2008 Best Picture Oscar winner, scripted by Simon Beaufoy, follows a boy (played by Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Tanay Hemant Chheda and Dev Patel) from the Juhu slums of Mumbai who competes on an Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Boyle, 68, added that “it’s time to reflect on” a British director filming a story set in India. “We have to look at the cultural baggage we carry and the mark that we’ve left on the world.”

Noting that “everything” is connected to historic colonialism, he added that Slumdog Millionaire “felt radical” when it was being made almost 20 years ago.

“We made the decision that only a handful of us would go to Mumbai. We’d work with a big Indian crew and try to make a film within the culture. But you’re still an outsider. It’s still a flawed method. That kind of cultural appropriation might be sanctioned at certain times. But at other times it cannot be.”

Boyle said he’s still “proud of the film, but you wouldn’t even contemplate doing something like that today. It wouldn’t even get financed.” He added, “Even if I was involved, I’d be looking for a young Indian filmmaker to shoot it.”

Box office hit Slumdog Millionaire, costarring Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal and Anil Kapoor, earned critical acclaim and 10 Oscar nominations in 2009, winning eight of them. It made Boyle, previously known for indie hits Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, a mainstream director with an Oscar, BAFTA and more.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

The Guardian article noted that Boyle “winced” at the idea that he’s now an established Hollywood filmmaker rather than an outsider.

“It all comes back to punk, really,” he said. “Not that my work is truly revolutionary or radical… I believe in popular entertainment. I want to push the boat out, but take the popular audience with me.”

Of his newest project, zombie horror sequel 28 Years Later, Boyle said that “real-world events” like Brexit and the COVID pandemic “were a big influence this time around.” The movie, directed by Boyle, written by Alex Garland and starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes, is in theaters now.