Director Matthew Vaughn is rumoured to be in talks to direct Star Wars Episode VII, it has been reported. The British filmmaker, who also directed Layer Cake and X-Men: First Class, is claimed to already be in discussions with Lucasfilm in the wake of its recent £2.5bn buy-out by Disney. Collider’s Steve Weintraub stressed that it’s only a rumour at the moment, but wrote: “I’m hearing that 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.” Bryan Singer was recently announced to be taking the reins on the next X-Men movie. And Weintraub added: “Now you have to ask yourself, why would Vaughn abruptly drop out of helming the X-Men sequel when the head of 20th Century Fox (Tom Rothman) is leaving the studio? “After all, while Rothman helped make some great movies over the past few years, he’s also known as a micro-manager that can rub some filmmakers the wrong way. “With Rothman out, I imagine Vaughn would have had more creative control on the sequel and it would have been an easier film to make. “But if Lucasfilm offered Vaughn the keys to Star Wars, that’s something he’d likely jump ship for.”
