George Lucas has revealed he originally wanted to direct the new Star Wars sequel.

The filmmaker, who sold LucasFilm to Disney for £2.5bn in 2012, admits he'd begun planning a seventh film.

The 70-year-old decided against it after realising that heading up a new trilogy would require a commitment of 10 years.

That decision might come as a relief to those fans who were disappointed with Lucas's prequel trilogy.

"It's better for me to get out at the beginning of a new thing and I can just remove myself," he told USA Today.

"The time is more important to me than the money."

JJ Abrams, who co-created Lost and directed the Star Trek reboot, is heading up the franchise's latest instalment.

Lucas though seems to be taking a backseat approach to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is set for release later this year.

He recently admitted he hadn't watched the 88-second teaser trailer, which has clocked up more than 70 million views on YouTube.

He said he is looking forward to seeing the hotly-anticipated film as a fan.

"The only thing I really regret about Star Wars is the fact I never got to see it - I never got to be blown out of my seat when the ship came over the screen.

"The next one, I'll be able to enjoy it like anybody else."

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