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Today in Depressing

Guillermo del Toro Turned Down Directing Star Wars: Episode VII, Because He’s Busy Enough Already

by Rebecca Pahle | 12:29 pm, January 7th, 2013


First we found out that J.J. Abrams said no to directing Star Wars: Episode VII. Now it turns out Guillermo del Toro has done the same.

Said del Toro in an interview with The Playlist:

“We got one phone call to my agent saying, ‘Is Guillermo interested?’ And basically I have so much stuff already of my own, and I’m pursuing stuff that I’m generating already… It was very flattering… It was just a phone call, it didn’t go past that, it was very nice to be asked, but believe it or not, I’m busy enough.”

I believe it. It seems like del Toro has several bajillion projects going on at any given time, and if he did Star Wars I’m guessing he’d basically have to drop all of them for a few years. A GdT-directed Star Wars would have been cool, and if an alterante dimension exists where he did Episode VII and his Hobbit worked out I totally want to take a vacation there, but oh well, what can you do?

Del Toro did, however, offer up his opinion on who he thinks would make a good Episode VII director: Brad Bird. ”I think the fans deserve somebody that is just going to immerse themselves completely,” he said. “As a geek, I would have loved to see Brad Bird take it.”

Preach it, del Toro. Bird has already debunked Episode VII directing rumors, but he just said that he wasn’t already doing it. So he still could if he was asked, right? Please? If Disney does make the offer Bird had better take it, or else Star Wars might start feeling, in the immortal words of the great Bobby Singer, like a ditchable prom date.

(via: CinemaBlend)

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  • http://www.aeryllou.tumblr.com/ Aeryl

    I have a lot of respect for these directors who don’t feel they can do the movies justice passing on it.

    Either that, or they are running scared from the fanboys & fangirls.

  • Anonymous

    Today we learned that del Toro can actually say no to a project. Interesting. Mind I get the feeling that he enjoys a little more control over his projects than he would probably be allowed on Star Wars.

  • http://twitter.com/Gauldar BOBRACHA

    I declare that we start a Kickstarter: Project Clone del Toro!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Tony-Quatermass/1260000946 Tony Quatermass

    Want to see mountains of madness.

  • http://www.facebook.com/angelalynnfortin Angela Fortin

    Aw, Del Toro was near the top of my director wishlist for this. In my wildest dreams AU he co-directs it with Joss Whedon. (Jane Espensen writes the script and every single character is played by Samuel L. Jackson, after Mace Windu is used as a clone template. Although we might have to make some of them willowy female Samuel L. Jacksons so we can get the obligatory Whedon waif-fu scene.)

  • http://twitter.com/BrightBlueInk Inky

    I really, really, really hope Brad Bird ends up doing it. He’s my favorite director.

  • dante5

    Bird has already turned down directing star wars. Which I’m glad! I prefer he doesnt direct it. I do not wanna see a pixar version of star wars.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jason.hunt.773981 Jason Hunt

    The pressure that will come with the new Star Wars films probably will put a few directors off doing it. Will any films ever be more scrutinized than these?

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