Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...

Sorry, guys. I wasn't trying to cocktease you. I was just trying to cover a source's ass. To me, the news was that they had chosen a director. Now they can get down to the business of making the film. In the hour and a half since I ran this headline, I've got an avalanche of independent confirmations, and I can honestly say I'm surprised it hasn't been reported anywhere else yet. Seems like it's not much of a secret at all.

Matthew Vaughn, director of LAYER CAKE, will direct X-MEN 3 for Fox.

I'd love to talk to him or to Zak Penn about general plans for the franchise as soon as possible, but I'm sure they're going to be tight-lipped. I'm incredibly happy overall with the way this is coming together. Matthew's a smart filmmaker, and his work on LAYER CAKE is dynamite. Zak Penn gets the X-Men and loves the characters, and he's been pretty instrumental in the franchise as a whole, so I think we're in good hands as the Dark Phoenix saga gets underway. Here's the original story that got you all so irritated with me, and like I said... I was just making sure I could cover some asses before sharing this with you. Enjoy!

I’ve gotten word now from two different sources regarding this coming Tuesday morning’s announcement of the new director of X-MEN 3. It’s happening. The film’s a go. Expect them to try to beat SUPERMAN to theaters, too. Unfortunately, without seriously stepping on some toes, I can’t put the name up yet. I’m working on it, and the second I can, I’ll put it up here. I’ll say this... I’m really pleased with the choice. It sounds like Zak Penn’s script is the one that Fox is using, and this director should be able to mine layers and layers of subtext out of the material.

Keep your eyes peeled right here... we’ll have that name for you verrrrrrrry soon...