Posted on by Dunc

Brad Bird was asked to head Episode VII, didn’t want to drop Tomorrowland

Concept art for Tomorrowland (the park)

An early internet favorite for the job of directing Episode VII, Brad Bird, tells The Hollywood Reporter that he was indeed approached to helm the film:

I’ve known Kathy [Kennedy] for a while and I know George. And they did come to me. But the problem was, the schedule they had in mind made it impossible to do…unless I dropped Tomorrowland. And I was just really deeply into this film at that point. It’s easy to say, “Just put it on hold.” But you’re moving now; you don’t know if you’re going to be able to move later. Maybe it’s true of filmmakers like Cameron or Spielberg, but I have to act on momentum. We had reached a critical mass where it would’ve thrown the furniture around from the train stopping. I really want to see this movie. I love the Star Wars films, and I can’t wait to see what J.J. does, but it meant I’d have to shut down one dream to participate in another. I feel like [with Tomorrowland] we’re making something that’s really special and unique.

Tomorrowland was first known under the name 1952, which also figured into some early EPVII speculation.

He also talks about the possibility of a sequel to The Incredibles.

3 Replies to “Brad Bird was asked to head Episode VII, didn’t want to drop Tomorrowland”

  1. I think he’s smart to go with his own thing. If it’s good, it’ll give him more of his own identity.

    JJ Abrams doesn’t need that. He is well known.

  2. I think with The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and the tons of TV work’s done, he’s good to go with a Star Wars film. I would have liked to have seen him do Episode VII. Hopefully he takes on Episode VIII or anything really. I would like to see Lindelof write something as well, just to see what it felt like.

  3. That’s a shame. I think Bird is one of those guys who naturally defaults to the mix of heart, action, and spectacle that make Star Wars so great. I’d have loved to see what he could do with the franchise.

    Still, I absolutely understand what he’s saying about momentum, and, once I got past the default, “That’s crazy! You don’t turn down freakin’ STAR WARS!” response, I can’t at all blame him for wanting to stay with his own thing.

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