Star Wars Episode VII: Who Will Direct it Now?

Is there a director on this planet who's up to the monumental task — and the potential fan backlash — of helming the as-yet-untitled Star Wars Episode VII?

Or is the risk of disappointing rabid fans around the world, the legions who dressed up in character for the supposed Mayan apocalypse last month (such as the guy pictured above, at a rally in Kiev) just too great for any aspiring director to throw years of his or her life into the project?

The first Disney-produced episode in the Lucasfilm franchise is due in 2015. A great screenwriter, Michael Arendt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) has written a treatment that covers the brand new trilogy. But fans are starting to get a little nervous at the number of equally great directors that have ruled the project out.

The latest to join the "no thanks" list is also the first we know of to have turned down a direct request from Lucasfilm. Guillermo del Toro, the Mexican director behind the darkly brilliant child's nightmare Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy, was the first choice of many Star Wars fans looking for something a little more Empire Strikes Back-ish than the prequel movies.

Flattered, but Busy

As revealed by indie blog The Playlist Monday, when del Toro's agent got the call, the director decided he was too busy — but added that he was very flattered to be asked.

He's a big fan himself, but "I think the fans deserve somebody that is just going to immerse themselves completely," he said.

Del Toro suggested that Brad Bird, who made his name over at Disney-owned Pixar, should direct the project, echoing many more fans' wishes. Many, many fan's wishes. Why? If you have to ask, watch this:

Bird, of course, has already ruled himself out. He laid a careful series of tweets informing us that he was directing a science fiction movie instead, 1952 with George Clooney. But he was flattered to be thought of, and told us he would be first in line to see Episode VII in 2015.

Other directors who've been flattered but unavailable include Steven Spielberg (it's "not his genre" and he's too close to Lucas) and J.J. Abrams (he prefers to keep working on the Star Trek series). Watchmen director Zack Snyder likes the idea but thinks another Star Wars is a "slippery slope," and Quentin Tarantino could "so care less" with Disney's name behind the project.

'Everybody Yells At You All the Time'

Why are so many big names turning down the opportunity to direct the next in a $4 billion series of live action films that changed movies forever, with built-in name recognition and audiences in the hundreds of millions? Try asking the last guy who signed up for the job, and who "totally immersed himself" in the franchise: George Lucas.

"Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?" Lucas asked the New York Times when announcing his retirement from Star Wars — indeed, from directing any major movie — back in January 2012.

The prequel trilogy was an enormous hit at the box office. The Phantom Menace alone made more money than the original, A New Hope. But the backlash from critics, and from many of the franchise's most rabid fans, has clearly taken its toll on Lucas.

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And no wonder. I dare you to think of any other director who has been so frequently accused of "raping" his fans' "childhood."

Never mind Darth Vader; there's definitely a Dark Side to Star Wars fandom.

Never mind Darth Vader; there's definitely a Dark Side to Star Wars fandom.

On paper, the prequel trilogy should have been amazing. It had a clear story arc, a terrific list of actors at its disposal, and the best special effects team on the planet. It was a huge hit with kids. The trailers drove an older generation of fans into a frothing frenzy.

But the director's vision didn't sync up with their expectations. Scenes that seemed great in his head fell flat with audiences. What director is confident enough to stand up and say his or her vision will succeed, when there are significant odds that it won't?

Star Wars: First Class?

For now, speculation seems to have settled on Matthew Vaughn, director of the gritty Layer Cake and the solid superhero flick that blended fact and fiction in the Cuban Missile Crisis, X-Men First Class. One of his actor friends let slip that Vaughn was in the running, and the director himself hasn't said one way or the other.

But Vaughn is currently signed up to direct another comic book adaptation, The Secret Service. And if Disney did have a deal with Vaughn, chances are the studio would have let us know by now. The speculation game isn't, as it turns out, great for the Star Wars brand.

The more major directors are asked in the media if they'd be interested, the more there's a chance they will politely refuse — and the more Episode VII will gain a reputation as a potentially toxic project.

If not Del Toro, Bird or Vaughn, then who is best for the job? Who could best withstand fan scrutiny? Give us your suggestion in the comments.

Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images