Brad Bird Unfortunately Won’t Direct STAR WARS: Episode VII

We were really hoping that Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird would be directing Disney’s upcoming Star Wars sequel, but that’s just wishful thinking.

The filmmaker finally broke his silence on Twitter to officially announce that he will not be making the first chapter in the new trilogy – Episode VII.

Responding to a fan’s comment about the legendary franchise, Bird said:

Not doing Star Wars,

adding that

But the science fiction film I AM doing is gonna be cool.

The science-fiction film that Bird is doing at Walt Disney Pictures is currently being called 1952, some sort of Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind type feature, and early word suggests that George Clooney could play the lead. It’s rumored to follow a man who makes contact with extraterrestrial life.

As for now, six directors have officially ruled themselves out and Jon Favreau, Guillermo del Toro and Joe Johnston have left their names in.

Toy Story 3 screenwriter Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII, which will reportedly fix on the further adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and Lando Calrissian.

Therefore, Bird closed with,

That said, Michael Arndt is a fantastic writer and Kathy Kennedy is a brilliant producer. I will be first in line to see the new STAR WARS.

Who you want to see helm the next Star Wars film?