Bryan Singer Returns to Genre Fare Full Time

Sure, he's done solid work with thrillers like The Usual Suspects and Valkyrie (that's putting it lightly). But Bryan Singer always seemed like he was more at home working in the sci-fi/fantasy genre with his X-Men films and Superman Returns.

Last week plans were announced that he would produce/direct his own big-screen reboot of Battlestar Galactica for Universal. Presumably it's to be his next directorial project. However that might not be the case.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Singer has two other projects set up at Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures to produce and possibly direct. Sounds like the studios have finally worked around the expensive "Pay or Play" deal they inked with Singer for the planned Superman sequel that never came to be.

The first is a remake of Excalibur, the life-story of King Arthur & his Knights of the Round Table. The original 1981 John Boorman-directed film remains one of my all-time favorites. If you'll remember, plans for a remake were first revealed by comic-book writer Warren Ellis who was working up his own story treatment. However, his name doesn't appear anywhere in the trades. So one can only assume he's no longer involved.

Singer's also said to hovering around Jack the Giant Killer. According to reports, it's this project (which D.J. Caruso was previously attached to) that might be his return to the director's chair after Valkyrie.

Something I've always liked about Singer is that he's clearly one of us. That is he too is a nerd who gets excited about stuff like J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot or the Avatar trailer being officially released. It's nice that he's finally getting to play with his toys again in the genre he so clearly loves.