Cronenberg turned down Star Wars spin-off

Director David Cronenberg. Photo / AP

Revered moviemaker David Cronenberg has revealed he was offered the chance to direct one of the new Star Wars films but turned Disney executives down.

The Naked Lunch and Eastern Promises director tells The Hollywood Reporter he received a phone call from film bosses shortly after JJ Abrams was named as the man behind Episode VII, asking him if he'd be interested in taking the reins of a future instalment.

"Instead of saying, 'Oh my God, yes!' I said, 'Well, you know, I don't really do other people's material'. I don't know how far it would have gone but it ended there," he said.

Cronenberg told the publication he also passed on the Total Recall remake, starring Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale, adding, "It's not in my nervous system to do something like that".

Len Wiseman took on the Total Recall project, while Rian Johnson is reportedly in talks to direct the next two Star Wars films in the franchise.

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- AAP