Bryan Singer Set To Direct ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’

Bryan Singer is officially set to direct X-Men: Days of Future Past, the sequel to 2011’s X-Men: First Class.

Singer closed the deal with 20th Century Fox Tuesday. Matthew Vaughn, who directed First Class, was originally supposed to direct the sequel, but backed out for unknown reasons last week. Vaughn will instead produce the film along with writer Simon Kinberg and producer Lauren Shuler Donner.

Singer directed the first two X-Men movies before leaving the series for Superman Returns in 2006. He returned for X-Men: First Class as a producer, and earned a “story by” credit for the script.

The “Days of Future Past“ storyline unfolded over two issues of The Uncanny X-Men in 1981. It deals with a dystopian alternate future in which mutants are put into internment camps. The two issues alternate between the present day and the alternate future in which the X-Men failed to prevent Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinate Senator Robert Kelly and Sentinels rule the United States.

Singer has said there was “a strong desire to broaden out the [X-Men] universe” and to bring some “connectivity” to the franchise. This means there is a possibility that Days of Future Past will link back to the first films in the franchise, with the potential for cameos from the original actors. For the time being, however, this is just speculation based on the source material, but it seems like Singer may be leaning in that direction.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is set to begin production early next year, and 20th Century Fox is shooting for a July 18, 2014 release date.