First, Bradley Cooper told the BBC that he'd be "interested" in playing disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, but now he says that's "nuts." Cooper told the L.A. Times this week that he didn't really grasp what the BBC was asking him.

Getty Images file

Bradley Cooper, right, says he won't play Lance Armstrong, left, in an upcoming movie.

"Oh my God, that's so nuts!" he said. "I had no idea what (the interviewer) was talking about. I didn't even know that J.J. (Abrams) has the rights, I had no idea. I don't know anything about it."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Lost" producer Abrams and Paramount Pictures have the movie rights to an upcoming book, "Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong."

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Gus Ruelas / Reuters file

J.J. Abrams.

Sci-fi filmmaker J.J. Abrams will direct "Star Wars: Episode VII," Walt Disney Co said after days of speculation, giving hope to many long-suffering fans who were disappointed by the last three installments in the iconic franchise.

The announcement was greeted with celebrations on online networks by the films' army of enthusiasts who have already watched Abrams rescue the aging "Star Trek" series with a high-grossing prequel in 2009.

Disney said late on Friday Abrams would work under the leadership of producer Kathleen Kennedy, the former president of Lucasfilm, and the script would be penned by Oscar-winning writer Michael Arndt.

"J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise," Kennedy said in a statement on starwars.com.

Fans were equally enthusiastic. "JJ Abrams to the rescue!!! Yes!! #starwarsVII," wrote @JonnyRadtke on Twitter.

"Great news about JJ Abrams directing Star Wars. Might just rescue the brand..." added @albrookshaw.

Rumors that Abrams, one of Hollywood's most successful directors and producers, would take stewardship of the films filled industry publications and online forums over the past week.

The 46-year-old made his name with TV shows "Alias" and "Lost" and earned his stripes as a director of effects-laden blockbusters with "Super 8," "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" and another widely-expected Star Trek film "Star Trek Into Darkness", due out later this year.

The Star Wars franchise, which was created by George Lucas' Lucasfilms Ltd, has grossed more than $4.4 billion at the global box office since the first film was released in 1977, making it the third most successful movie property after the "Harry Potter" and "James Bond" series.

Star Wars characters such as Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and the anti-hero Darth Vader have become a staple part of pop culture, along with the catch phrase "May the force be with you."

The Star Wars films were acquired by Disney after they bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in October 2012. They announced then that three new installments would be made, starting in 2015.

Lucas, 68, gave Abrams his blessing on Starwars.com, saying the director was "an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

Abrams said his new role was "an absolute honor."

Disney had previously said Lucas would remain a creative consultant on the series.

Lucas himself said in October he had story treatments for Episodes 7, 8 and 9, which he would hand over to Kennedy, who assured him that she would adhere to his ideas.

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Jason Redmond / Reuters

Bradley Cooper at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 13.

Hey J.J. Abrams, pay attention. Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper is not wasting any time, and quickly revealed that he would be more than happy to portray Lance Armstrong, after news of a biopic on the former cyclist's life was announced to be in the works.

"I would be interested in [playing Armstrong]," Cooper told BBC News. "I think he's fascinating. What a fascinating character."

Sheryl Crow speaks out on Armstrong's confession

"I remember Matt Damon was going to do his autobiography at one point years ago," he continued, "I remember thinking, that would be a great character, I'd love to play that character. I would love to do something, I think he's pretty fascinating."

The biopic will reportedly be based on New York Times sportswriter Juliet Macur's upcoming book "Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong," to which the "Lost" producer and Paramount Pictures secured the movie rights, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

For the first time ever, Armstrong revealed to Oprah Winfrey during a sit-down for an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter that he used performance enhancing drugs, saying he didn't think he could've won the Tour de France seven times without them.

Check out our casting couch!

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Here’s some news that should have "Star Trek" fans champing at the bit: director J.J. Abrams premiered the first clip from his upcoming "Trek" sequel on TBS' "Conan." But it’s short … really short.

“It’s got to be really short,” Abrams said of studio Paramount’s instructions to him. “It can’t be longer than three frames,” he claimed his bosses told him.

STORY:  "Star Trek" star Karl Urban reveals possible sequel villain

But Abrams told Conan O'Brien those three frames are indeed from "Star Trek Into Darkness," the heavily guarded follow-up to his 2009 "Trek" reboot.

“This is a scene where Spock … for reasons that you’ll have to see the film to understand, is in a volcano in this crazy suit.”

"Star Trek Into Darkness" is slated for a May 17, 2013, release and reunites the Enterprise crew from the 2009 film (including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban and Zoe Saldana) and adds "Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch in a villain role still shrouded in mystery, even though the movie has wrapped.

Watch the video. The clip begins (and ends) at the 1:51 mark. 

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