It looks like the rumors were true. Confirming much speculation, JJ Abrams revealed he was being courted by Disney to direct "Star Wars: Episode VII," but has turned the job down, ABC News reported.
The "Star Trek" director let the information slip in a recent interview with British film magazine Empire, saying as "amazing" as he believes the new films will be, he declined to be involved early on.
"[T]here were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to 'Star Trek', and also just being a ['Star Wars'] fan, I wouldn't even want to be involved in the next version of those things," Abrams reportedly told Empire.
The "Lost" TV series creator said that even though he's a "huge fan" of the original trilogy, and "the idea of [that] world continuing is exciting and will be amazing," he admitted, "I'd rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them."
If it wasn't already, now it's official: JJ Abrams is the nerd king. Only a true son of myopia and mint condition comic books would be such a devotee to a pop culture property that they could turn down what is easily one of the biggest directing jobs of the last decade.
Abrams went on to praise producer Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas' handpicked successor at Lucasfilm following the company's buyout by Disney, saying the franchise is "in great hands."
Numerous directing candidates have been thrown around in connection to "Episode VII," with everyone from Pixar's Brad Bird, and David Fincher, to "Tron Legacy" director Joseph Kosinski, and "Safety Not Guaranteed" director Colin Trevorrow, who recently revealed he won't be taking the job, either.
With Abrams and Trevorrow officially out the running, it looks like Matthew Vaughn may be among the top directors vying for the project. Collider is reporting that "Kick-Ass" director Matthew Vaughn is in talks with Lucasfilm to helm "Star Wars: Episode VII."
"My sources tell me this is the main reason he dropped out of the 'X-Men' sequel," reported Collider.
The site notes if Vaughn is being lined up by Disney to helm the film, it's likely a similar contract to the agreement director Marc Web signed while directing the newest, "Spider Man." Most likely a film-by-film basis, "with the assumption that if the first film is a success and he wants to come back, he could," said Collider.
Vaughn has also directed "Stardust," "Layer Cake," and "X-Men: First Class."
Speaking in a radio interview with ABC News, film producer Kathleen Kennedy said pre-production for "Episode VII" would begin in spring 2013, and seemed to hint that Disney would announce the director for "Episode VII" in January.
"I have no immediate update, but hopefully in January I'll have something that I can say," Kennedy told ABC News Radio.
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