George Lucas has revealed that he originally intended to make the new Star Wars film before he sold his company to Disney.
Directed by JJ Abrams and featuring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, is due to open in cinemas later this year.
The Star Wars creator sold his company Lucasfilm to Disney in a £2.5 billion deal in 2012.
USA Today said that Lucas - whose prequel trilogy of Star Wars films, released between 1999 and 2005, were deemed to be inferior to the originals - had planned to make Episode VII.
But his plans changed when Disney said it was interested in buying Lucasfilm.
"It's better for me to get out at the beginning of a new thing and I can just remove myself," he said.
The 70-year-old, who has a 17-month-old daughter, said of the sale to Disney: "The time is more important to me than the money."
The filmmaker said that he is looking forward to seeing the new Star Wars film, the first movie in the sequel trilogy, as a member of the audience.
"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," he said.
"The next one, I'll be able to enjoy it like anybody else."
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