Bryan Singer has reportedly passed on taking the director’s chair for X-Men: First Class and will now only serve as producer on the upcoming film. Fox hopes to fast-track X-Men: First Class through production for a 2011 release and scheduling conflicts are to blame for Singer’s departure as director.

Singer is currently attached to helm James and the Giant Killer for Warner Bros., which is due to start production this Summer production start date, and the studio’s enthusiasm for Jamie Moss‘s script for the X-Men prequel prompted Fox to move up the film’s production schedule, leaving Singer unavailable to direct.

[Source] Deadline