Another directorial candidate can be removed from the "Star Wars: Episode VII" sweepstakes, as Brad Bird has said that he won't be behind the camera for the upcoming sequel. Instead, he confirmed his next project will be the mysterious "1952" film that he's been cooking up with Damon Lindelof.
Bird had been one of the more obvious choices to take on the "Star Wars" mantle due to his connections with Disney. With Pixar, Bird delivered hits with "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille," and he made a successful leap to live-action last year with "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."
As such, he shot to the top of many fans' list of ideal choices to direct the first entry in the sequel trilogy. However, Bird took to Twitter to end the speculation himself, as he insisted he would "not be doing Star Wars." He then teased that he would be doing science fiction and that it's "gonna be cool."
He then clarified by directly referencing "1952," a film that's been discussed for months; while it hasn't been officially greenlit by Disney, it seems likely to happen since George Clooney is attached to star. That film, which is said to be in the vein of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," is expected to be a tent pole project for Disney when it's released.
Like many directors who have removed themselves from the running for "Episode VII," Bird insisted that he's excited about the project and that he'll be "first in line" to see the new movie. The list of directors who have removed themselves from consideration is likely longer than the actual candidates at this point, as nearly a dozen high profile names have indicated they aren't likely to helm the film.
Furthermore, Frank Marshall recently stated that the search has narrowed, though he couldn't say when the final decision will be revealed. Since the film is set for a 2015 release, one would expect Lucasfilm to announce their decision before the end of the year.
