Bryan Singer will direct X-Men: Days of Future Past

20th Century Fox's plans for the upcoming superhero sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past were dealt a blow last week with the news that X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn had chosen to pull out of the project, but the studio has wasted little time in securing his replacement, with Deadline reporting that Bryan Singer will return to the franchise he launched back in 2000 with the release of the hugely influential comic book adaptation X-Men.

After directing X2: X-Men United in 2003, Singer chose to pass on X-Men: The Last Stand in order to bring back the Man of Steel with 2006's Superman Returns. He subsequently served as producer on last year's prequel X-Men: First Class, and is said to have "been a guiding influence [on Days of Future Past] by writing the treatment and producing. Furthermore, Matthew Vaughn is close to a deal to produce alongside X-Men regular Lauren Shuler Donner and screenwriter Simon Kinberg (X-Men: The Last Stand), who has written the script for the sequel with Vaughn and Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class).

X-Men Days of Future Past is based on the classic comic book story arc from 1981 which sees the X-Men fighting to prevent an apocalyptic alternate future. James McAvoy (Professor Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto) and Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique) have all been confirmed as reprising their roles from First Class, while X-Men veterans Patrick Stewart (Professor Xavier) and Famke Janssen (Jean Grey) have both teased a possible return to the franchise.