'Mission: Impossible' director rules himself out of 'Star Wars' running

Brad Bird has ruled himself out of directing the next 'Star Wars' movie.

The Oscar-winning director - known for his work on films including 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' and animated classic 'The Incredibles' - was hotly tipped to take on the job of filming the seventh film in the series, but has now confirmed he is working on an alternative sci-fi picture.

Answering a series of questions on his twitter page, he said: "Nope, a science fiction film. Not Star Wars. It's not Episode VII. (sic)"

When fans added he would be the perfect person to work on it, he said: "Thanks. But the science fiction film I AM doing is gonna be good (sic)"

However, he admitted he is looking forward to seeing what Disney do with the franchise.

He wrote: "That said, Michael Arndt is a fantastic writer and Kathy Kennedy is a brilliant producer. I will be first in line to see the new STAR WARS. (sic)"

Meanwhile, Carrie Fisher - who played the iconic Princess Leia in the first three films - has hinted she may come back and marry Harrison Ford's character Han Solo.

She said: "I like the idea of being Mrs Solo, and we've just fought and fought and I killed him - but I'm sorry."