At this point, we need to seriously consider anointing Guillermo del Toro some sort of project-hopping superhero. Not only did our boy walk away from The Hobbit when the project no longer suited his whims, he’s now going on record as having turned down the opportunity to take the reins on the future of Star Wars. Via a The Playlist interview:
“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…” he said, explaining that he ultimately turned it down.
He also mentions he’d like to see Brad Bird in the director’s chair, a sentiment that’s shared by many, I suspect. Myself included.
Bravo, I say. A director who turns down a franchise project to work on his own creative material is next to unheard of in today’s Hollywood. Not to mention Star Wars is the franchise, and Episode VII is the most coveted director’s chair since Harry Potter. So it says something about an artist who basically says “Meh, pass.”
Del Toro isn’t being disrespectful, he sincerely has a lot on his directing plate right now. Wrapping up Pacific Rim, he’s got a slate of four films he’s on the hook for at Universal not to mention countless producing gigs. Still, it’s refreshing to note that not every working director feels need to enter the Star Wars Sweepstakes.