Sorry to put a damper on your weekend, but it's looking as if director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) is out of the running for Star Wars: Episode VII.  Tops on may fans' lists of dream directors for the new sequel, Bird was considered a frontrunner due to his connections with Disney (who now owns Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars, along with Pixar, of course) and the involvement of screenwriter Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) who will write the screenplay for Episode VII.  Bird's schedule grew a little more complicated recently when the epic sci-fi project 1952 landed George Clooney in a lead role.  Though the project isn't greenlit (and though Twitter isn't exactly hard journalistic evidence), it looks like this will be Bird's next picture and, sadly, not Star Wars.  Hit the jump to see what Bird had to say. The following Tweets from Bird's own account break the sad news that he's not in the helmer's chair for Star Wars: Episode VII, but will be moving forward with a "cool" sci-fi film:

Brad Bird ‏@BradBirdA113

“@rsavenell: You are on people's lists as top choice for Star Wars, yet haven't confirmed. Please end this tease!” Not doing Star Wars.

“@ClarkGoble: tell me your next one is the new Star Wars!” Nope. A science fiction film. Not Star Wars.

“@JoesMonster: @wearebuffaloz Is it Star Wars Episode VII? Because I really hope it's Star Wars Episode VII...” It's not Episode VII.

“@GeoffBreedwell: You're not doing EP7? Why not? You're perfect for it!” Thanks. But the science fiction film I AM doing is gonna be cool.

“@gregaveryowens: Totally just saw @BradBirdA113 slam Star Wars. Brilliant!” I'm not slamming Star Wars. I'm just doing "1952"! Sheesh!

That said, Michael Arndt is a fantastic writer and Kathy Kennedy is a brilliant producer. I will be first in line to see the new STAR WARS.

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Be sure to get caught up on all of our previous coverage on the Star Wars sequels at the links provided below:

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