300 and Man of Steel director Zack Snyder is prepping his own Star Wars film, separate to the planned trilogy, that may take place after Star Wars: Episode VII.

Update: Snyder’s rep has denied that he is working on any Star Wars projects. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder’s rep said of the report, “While he is super flattered because he is a huge fan, Zack is not involved in any way with the new Star Wars. He is currently in post on his two films, Man of Steel and 300: Battle of Artemisia.”

The original report:

Vulture reported the news, saying that the Snyder, who is working closely with LucasFilms, is planning an epic loosely based upon the Akira Kurosawa masterpiece Seven Samurai. Instead of ronin and katana, the film will see lightsaber-wielding Jedi in their place.

From the Vulture report:

It’s not clear just where Snyder’s untitled Jedi film would fall within the Star Wars chronology, but one insider expects it will not be considered part of the “numbered” episodes, but rather a stand-alone film set sometime post–Episode VI events, meaning the next phase of the franchise development is much broader than previously thought.

For those unfamiliar with the 1954 classic Seven Samurai, the tale follows seven unemployed samurai who come to the aid of a poor village under attack from bandits. The story is a great one and will definitely lend itself to the world of Star Wars, although the question of whether Synder and company can do this masterwork justice remains to be seen, as does how closely the film will follow the story.

In a 2005 interview with The Telegraph, George Lucas cited Seven Samurai as one of his all-time favorites, saying, “It’s brilliant, brilliant film, and every time I see it I can’t believe the magic mixture of a great story and great acting and humour and action and suspense — wonderful cinema. The art of moving pictures is on every frame of this movie.”

Not much more information on the project is known at this point, including whether Snyder will pen the screenplay or just direct. We’ll be sure to follow this project closely as more is bound to come to light in the coming days, weeks and months.