Bryan Singer Returning to Direct X-Men: Apocalypse Following Sexual Assault Lawsuit Drama

Get the scoop on the upcoming superhero flick

By Brett Malec Sep 22, 2014 9:30 PMTags
Bryan SingerCharley Gallay/Getty Images for MPTF

Confirmed!

After months of speculation, Bryan Singer is officially returning to direct X-Men: Apocalypse, a source confirms to E! News. The upcoming X-Men flick will follow this year's X-Men: Days of Future Past and will mark Singer's fourth X-Men film.

Singer isn't the only one returning for the superhero franchise's next installment. Stars Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters and many other members will also reportedly be returning.

Back in June, Singer teased a photo of the script treatment for X-Men: Apocalypse. "@xmenmovies #xmen," Singer simply captioned the sneak-peek pic, which was his first Instagram post ever.

Marvel/Twentieth Century Fox

According to Singer's pic, the treatment hinted that the film's opening scene would be set in Egypt or one of the 10 other African countries that the Nile River runs through.

The May 2014 release of X-Men: Days of Future Past was slightly overshadowed by a sexual abuse lawsuit targeted at Singer. A 31-year-old man named Michael Egan alleged that Singer drugged and raped him back in 1999 when Egan was only 17.

Singer, 49, blasted the sexual assault claims and told E! News at the time, "The allegations against me are outrageous, vicious and completely false. I do not want these fictitious claims to divert ANY attention from X-Men: Days of Future Past. This fantastic film is a labor of love and one of the greatest experiences of my career. So, out of respect to all of the extraordinary contributions from the incredibly talented actors and crew involved, I've decided not to participate in the upcoming media events for the film. However, I promise when this situation is over, the facts will show this to be the sick twisted shakedown it is."