JJ Abrams set to direct Star Wars Episode 7

JJ Abrams is set to direct the next Star Wars movie.

The Star Trek helmer will oversee Episode 7 in the sci-fi movie franchise, which was announced last year after Disney acquired Lucasfilm in a multi-billion dollar deal.

The Wrap reports that Ben Affleck was also in contention for the coveted position, but that Abrams has won the role. An insider also told Deadline: “It’s a done deal with JJ.”

Abrams had appeared to rule himself out of the running to direct the film in December, citing his commitment to Star Trek.

“There were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan [of Star Wars], I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things,” he previously said.

“I declined any involvement very early on. I’d rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them.”

Star Wars Episode 7 – due to be released in 2015 – is being written by Toy Story 3 screenwriter Michael Arndt.

Joss Whedon, Guillermo del Toro, Wes Anderson and Steven Spielberg had all previously ruled themselves out of helming the film, while Zack Snyder was forced to deny that he was prepping a non-trilogy Star Wars film based loosely on Seven Samurai.