Matthew Vaughn May Helm X-Men: First Class

Matthew Vaughn, director of Kick Ass, is in talks to direct X-Men: First Class, the prequel to 20th Century Fox’s hit X-Men trilogy.

According to multiple sources, Vaughn was the top candidate for the job, but then passed last week after talks fell apart. The Hollywood Reporter stated that Bryan Singer and Vaughn have developed a quite a creative partnership during their initial talks on the project. Even after Vaughn passed on it last week and Fox began scheduling meetings with other directors, Singer and Vaughn kept talking about the film, with Singer becoming more convinced that Vaughn is the right man for the job. With Singer’s support and encouragement, both Vaughn and Fox are now in talks yet again, with Fox now canceling meetings with other directors.  Other directors rumored to be in talks for the film included Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans), Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), and David Slade (30 Days of Night), according to Deadline.

This is not the first time Vaughn has had a chance to direct an X-Men film.  He was in talks for X-Men: The Last Stand, but left the film over creative differences and opting to direct Stardust instead, with Brett Ratner taking over shortly before filming.

If all this comes to fruition, Vaughn will be working from a script by Jamie Moss from a treatment by Bryan Singer. Production on X-Men: First Class will probably begin late summer or early fall, with Bryan Singer producing. 20th Century Fox is targeting a 2011 release date.