With Bryan Singer off directing a new Superman film, the spot for a new director for the successful X-Men franchise is open.

I love the X-Men. It was the only superhero comic I remember reading as a child (in the pre 80’s Wolverine days when there was just Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel and a non blue, non hairy Beast). The first film was fantastic (apart from Halle Berry’s very, very bad accent) and more or less heralded a renaissance in superhero films. The second film was as good (which, for a sequel, is unheard of) and there’s a lot of anticipation for the third film.

So who’s going to take over the hot seat? Apparently it’s going to be Matthew Vaughn, Guy Ritchie’s former producer and director of the surprisingly good Layer Cake (review later). But I seriously hope we don’t start getting some crafty cockney mutant getting embroiled in an elaborate scam with Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants that results in massive blood bath and crafty double cross. Then again…!

The latest rumours about new additions to the X-team are that Beast, Gambit and Angel will be joining with the existing crew but they’ve been talked about since the first film. Let’s face it, as long as we have more of Hugh Jackman’s beserker rage as Wolverine, and Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler BAMFing in and out of the action, who cares?