It’s an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan!

[media-credit name="Colin Trevorrow" align="alignright" width="283"][/media-credit]Last weekend, Nerdvana’s own “Dr. Jedi” Dustin Diehl made a splash with his insider scoops on the new story’s time frame in relation to the original trilogy, as well as word that a writer and director already have been selected (though not announced). The director’s chair may be the subject of so much speculation because of Star Wars creator George Lucas’ insistence on writing and directing the prequels to many fans’ consternation. The parts of the original trilogy he didn’t direct (The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi) are among their favorites.

Early speculation centered on X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn to direct Star Wars Episode VII because just before the film was announced he abruptly dropped out of directing the sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past. (That’s turning out to be more easily explained by his attachment to Mark Millar’s Secret Service.)

Now we’re hearing that Lucasfilm may be leaning towards Safety Not Guaranteed director Colin Trevorrow (pictured), who was interviewed back in June by Nerdvana’s Bob Leeper. The director is a dark horse for something as big as Star Wars, but Lucas’ respect for indie filmmakers is well known, and stranger things have happened.

Keep your sensors tuned to Nerdvana’s frequencies for all the latest Episode VII news and rumors.

Tags: Carrie Fisher, casting, Colin Trevorrow, Disney, episode vii, George Lucas, harrison ford, Lucasfilm, Marvel, matthew vaughn, Safety Not Guaranteed, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode 7, Star Wars Episode VII, X-Men