Matthew Vaughn to direct Star Wars Episode VII? Harrison Ford open to a return?

It's been just seven days since Disney's shock acquisition of Lucasfilm and the announcement that a new Star Wars trilogy is set to arrive on the big screen, and already the rumour mill is in full swing. Last week saw talk that Disney were looking at a number of high profile directors such as Neill Blomkamp (District 9), Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and George Lucas' good buddy Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), and now comes word that the studio may have identified its number one target to helm Star Wars Episode VII.

According to Collider, "Matthew Vaughn, the director of Kick-Ass, Stardust, Layer Cake, and X-Men: First Class, 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 (which Bryan Singer is now directing)." It had been thought that Vaughn had opted to pass on X-Men: Days of Future Past in favour of directing an adaptation of Mark Millar's comic book series The Secret Service, and while the rumour should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt at the moment, with Disney looking towards a 2015 release date for Episode VII, it's highly likely that talks are already well underway with potential directors.

Meanwhile, in other potential Episode VII news, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Harrison Ford "is open to the idea of doing the movie" which is a little surprising given the actor's previous views on reprising the role of Han Solo, although the article does go on to state that we shouldn't be surprised "if his contract includes a mandatory death scene for the sly old space smuggler."