Still from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
The 48-year-old Mexican director of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy has issued admitted an interest in the role, although he is yet to be “formally” approached by Disney – who are developing a new series of the sci-fi movies after purchasing LucasFilm from George Lucas for an estimated $4 billion.
del Toro will face competition from Matthew Vaughn, who has turned down the chance to direct the sequel to X-Men: First Class and is thought to be involved in the film’s screenplay.
Speaking to blog Fanhattan, he said: “I haven’t approached them, they haven’t formally approached me.
“I have so many projects to discuss or think about. ”If this ever becomes a reality, and there’s an approach to do it, I would then think about it. It’s like wondering if I want to date a supermodel.”
Michael Arndt has already started writing the script for Star Wars: Episode VII, but director J.J. Abrams will not be directing the movie after he recently ruled himself out of the job.
Carrie Fisher – who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy from 1977 to 1983 – has admitted she would like to reprise her role if asked by Disney.
