Back in November, the director said "they havent formally approached me," but when The Playlist sat down with Del Toro recently, he revealed that he did get a call about the job. "We got one phone call to my agent saying, 'Is Guillermo interested?' " he revealed saying, "And basically I have so much stuff already of my own, and I'm pursuing stuff that I'm generating already..." that he turned it down.
With numerous directing, producing and writing projects on his plate, Del Toro made it clear his own slate will keep him occupied, but he was still pleased to be approached. "It was very flattering," he said, adding: "It was just a phone call, it didn't go past that, it was very nice to be asked, but believe it or not, I'm busy enough."
The director also ruled out the possibility of helming any of the proposed/rumored spinoffs as well. So who should take on sequel? Del Toro believes it should be a filmmaker who can really dedicate themselves to the franchise, and he has his own suggestion. "I think the fans deserve somebody that is just going to immerse themselves completely. As a geek, I would have loved to see
Brad Bird take it," he said.