Talking to MTV at SxSW, Iron Man director Jon Favreau says he would've been down to helm Star Wars: Episode VII had he been formally approached. He also stated that he didn't chase after the gig either. The farthest his Star Wars courtship progressed were inquires about his availability. Back in 2012, Favreau, J.J. Abrams and Matthew Vaughn were the three frontrunners for the gig and as we all know, Abrams scored the coveted gig.
"I didn't go after it," Favreau told MTV, "but it's one of those things that, as people would say they weren't going to do it, and as there were questions coming my way as to my availability... I was really scared of the idea that nobody was gonna [do it], and so if they had come to me, I don't know how you say no to that thing." You can watch the full discussion in the interview below.
After Iron Man 2 and Cowboy and Aliens, I'm not sure Favreau would have been the right man for the job. But Favreau's brand of humor and action sensibilities would have made for an interesting pick nonetheless. And besides, we need Favreau free and available to reprise his role as Happy Hogan in Iron Man 4, right? Hell, maybe Favreau returns to direct Robert Downey Jr.'s swan song?
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