The force evidently isn’t as strong as it once was, with Guillermo Del Toro the latest to turn down the hugely loaded chance to direct the new Disney Star Wars films. You can understand why many directors are quaking at the prospect of taking on the huge legacy of George Lucas’ sci-fi franchise; Disney have spent big money ($4.05 billion to be exact) to acquire the series and don’t want to muck it up.

However, if recent comments to The Playlist are to be believed, Del Toro simply has too much on his plate to consider taking on the position. "We got one phone call to my agent saying, 'Is Guillermo interested?' And basically I have so much stuff already of my own, and I'm pursuing stuff that I'm generating already..." he said, ultimately explaining that he turned it down. We don’t blame him: as well as writing for Peter Jackson’s trilogy The Hobbit, he’s been directing Pacific Rim – due out this year- and also has Crimson Peak and Pinocchio in his thoughts for 2014.

"It was very flattering," he said, adding: "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." With it being widely reported that Steven Spielberg and Brad Bird have also turned down the chance to begin work on the project, you’ve got to wonder where Disney will turn now.

Watch The Trailer For Pacific Rim: