Guillermo Del Toro Was Approached For 'Star Wars Episode VII' But Was Too Busy To Consider Directing

In the past four months, many major filmmakers have been asked about directing Star Wars Episode VII. Most have said they couldn't do it or wouldn't want to do it. Some have said they really want to do it and others have remained curiously quiet on the subject.

One of the biggest names on that list is Guillermo Del Toro. Most of us assumed, with his laundry list of possible projects at all stages of development, the filmmaker wouldn't have time to tackle what's probably the most anticipated film of all time. That seemed certain when it was revealed he'd follow up Pacific Rim with the haunted house film Crimson Peak.

In a new interview, Del Toro finally set the record straight regarding himself and a galaxy far, far away. He said LucasFilm called him and asked if he was interested in the project, but he said he simply couldn't. Read the quote and more below.

The information came from 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... [I turned it down]. 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.

In the same interview he also took himself out of the running for any future sequels (which seems super presumptuous does it not?) and said his dream director would be another fan favorite: Brad Bird. That director, of course, was likely on the Star Wars wishlist, but can't do Episode VII due to his project 1952.

Outside of the obvious disappointment of Del Toro turning this down, I think the most interesting bit of information here is in the timing. Back in November, Del Toro said "they haven't formally approached me." That word "formally" stuck out to many of us. Had this phone call already happened at that point? If so, why reveal he said "No" now and not at that time? Maybe it's because the phone call came after, which would suggest LucasFilm is still on the prowl and all the rumors we've all heard – Matthew Vaughn, Jon Favreau – are still up in the air. Or maybe Del Toro didn't consider that phone call "formal" and that's what he meant.

Do you think the call came recently or months ago? Are you disappointed? Surprised?