Matthew Vaughn back in talks to direct X-Men: First Class

Over the weekend we heard that 20th Century Fox had approached Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn to direct X-Men: First Class, however it was reported by various outlets that Vaughn had passed and Fox were now talking with directors such as Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) and David Slade (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), among others.

Well now it seems negotiations have resumed, and Vaughn may end up directing X-Men: First Class after all.

From Deadline:

Things are back on with Matthew Vaughn and 20th Century Fox on X-Men: First Class. A deal is being negotiated right now. That’s where I told you this was headed last week, until both sides confirmed that the deal hit the rocks last Thursday. Fox, having gone far down the road with the Kick-Ass director on X-Men: Last Stand, had put together a killer list of alternative directors for the job. Several were interviewed, but then others were cancelled after Vaughn came back into the picture this morning. Now, I hear the studio is working with his WME reps to close the deal.

This is great news in my opinion. The fact that the two side are re-negotiating could mean that Vaughn will be given more creative control. He’s just come off Kick-Ass which he made without any studio involvement, and he said he loved the freedom it gave him. Vaughn wouldn’t sign up if he was just going to be Fox’s puppet.

Deadline say that Fox aim to start production on First Class late summer, with Bryan Singer producing alongside Lauren Shuler Donner and X3 writer Simon Kinberg. A Singer/Vaughn combo gives me great hope that this won’t suck like previous X-Men efforts. The franchise hit a low with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and I believe with this creative team we can get something at least as good as X2.

What are your thoughts on Matthew Vaughn possibly directing First Class?