Matthew Vaughn exits 'X-men: Days of Future Past'

If you recall the production process on X-men: First Class, you might remember that it was a rather torturous experience for Matthew Vaughn. He was crushed by a ridiculously short schedule, leading to a number of creative issues and personnel dropping out of the troubled film. But that doesn't appear to be the case for the sequel, X-men: Days of Future Past, which was set to begin filming early next year for release in July 2014. Plenty of time, right? So it's a bit surprising to learn that Vaughn has dropped out of the film, only sticking around as a producer.

As worrisome as that may be, there is some good news. Apparently the guy who is at the top of Fox's list to replace him is Bryan Singer, the man who directed the much-loved first two X-men movies. Singer was originally set to direct X-men: First Class, and his participation in future X-men flicks(possibly X-men 4) has been expected. It was Singer's departure to direct Superman Returns that really sent the mutant-verse over the cliff, and it never really recovered until Vaughn brought it back last year.

So what will Vaughn be doing instead? It sounds like he'll be tackling an adaptation of The Secret Service, a comic created by Fox's new head of creative consultant, Mark Millar. Vaughn directed Millar's Kick-Ass a couple of years ago, and the two have been close ever since. It was just last year that Vaughn acquired the rights to The Secret Service, as well as Millar's Superior, with plans of bringing them both to the big screen.

Singer's been in a funk for years, and with Jack the Giant Slayer not really gaining much in the way of positive momentum, a return to the X-men universe may be what he needs. [Deadline]