Bryan Singer Not Directing 'X-Men: First Class'

It looks like Bryan Singer won't be making a triumphant return to the director's chair for "X-Men: First Class" after all.

According to Deadline Hollywood, the director of "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United" will move from director to producer on the upcoming 20th Century Fox film, which takes the "X-Men" universe back to the early days of Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

The report indicates that the move was made in order to put the film on the fast track, since Singer is currently committed to direct Warner Bros.' "Jack the Giant Killer," a variation on the Jack and the Beanstalk legend about a young farmer's quest to rescue a princess from the land of the giants. It's unclear how much involvement he will actually have on "First Class" if his attention is focused on "Giant Killer."

Fox is moving forward quickly with the film not to simply screw Singer out of the directing gig, but because they are said to have liked the script from Jamie Moss, based on a treatment from Singer himself, so much that they don't want to wait on Singer and instead hope on signing a new director with the intention of getting the film in theaters by 2011.

So while it may be bad news (at least for the fans) that Singer won't be returning to direct "First Class," it means that they've at least got a solid script to work from and just need the right director to bring it to life.

That's not the only silver lining for fans of the "X-Men" movie universe Singer helped create, as the report also mentions that the film is being envisioned as the first part of a trilogy.

There is no director or release date for the project at this point. Who would you like to direct "X-Men: First Class"?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Rope of Silicon, First Showing, The Geek Files, MTV News