AceShowbiz -

Turns out Guillermo del Toro was one of the notable filmmakers approached to direct "Star Wars Episode 7". The "Pacific Rim" helmer himself opened up that he declined the offer to helm the massive gig despite the fact that he was one of fans' most favorite candidates.

To The Playlist, del Toro admitted that "we got one phone call to my agent saying, 'Is Guillermo interested?' " He went on explaining the reason he turned down the offer, "And basically I have so much stuff already of my own, and I'm pursuing stuff that I'm generating already."

del Toro claimed that he's too occupied with his other directorial projects, but confessed that he's happy to be approached for the much-talked-about space saga project. "It was very flattering," he said. "It was just a phone call, it didn't go past that, it was very nice to be asked, but believe it or not, I'm busy enough."

While he couldn't tackle the coveted directing job, the "Hellboy" helmer thought it would be great if Brad Bird was tapped to do it. "I think the fans deserve somebody that is just going to immerse themselves completely," he gushed. "As a geek, I would have loved to see Brad Bird take it."

"Star Wars Episode 7" has tapped Michael Ardnt to provide the script, but still hasn't found a director. Many filmmakers had turned down the opportunity to direct the film previously. They included J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and Zack Snyder. The movie is expected to come out in 2015 and words are, the story will take place after the events in "Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of Jedi".