Bryan Singer to direct Superman movie

Bryan Singer, director of the gay-friendly action franchise X-Men, has signed on to direct the next Superman film. Singer replaces previous director McG (Charlie's Angels), who left the project last week, according to The Hollywood Reporter. McG reportedly couldn't agree with the studio on a budget (reportedly around $200 million) or on location. He wanted to shoot the film in New York; the studio wanted Australia. Other directing heavyweights have come and gone without getting this project moving. Brett Ratner left the project in March citing casting difficulties. Tim Burton's version, starring Nicolas Cage and with a script by Kevin Smith, didn't fly either. Singer, with his long-established affinity for comics, told the Reporter: "I feel that Superman has been late in his return, and it is time for him to fly again.... My interest in Superman dates back many, many years. In fact, it was the Richard Donner classic [1978's Superman] film that was my day-to-day inspiration in shaping the X-Men universe for the screen." Singer has also directed Apt Pupil and The Usual Suspects and is slated to direct next year's Logan's Run remake as well as X-Men 3, due in 2006. The new Superman flick is scheduled to hit screens in the summer of 2006, though production on the film does not yet have a start date. This installment will be the first Superman film since 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, which was the last in a series of movies starring Christopher Reeve.