One person not in the running for Star Wars: Episode VII is Bryan Singer, who is instead taking on the prequel sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past, his third go as director of an X-Men film.

It's being widely reported today that X-Men: Days of Future Past, a direct follow-up to the critically acclaimed and fan favorite prequel X-Men: First Class, is set to begin shooting this April. Originally, cameras were supposed to role in January, but the loss of original director Matthew Vaughn set things back a couple of paces.

Pre-production is already underway, as indicated by Bryan Singer on his official Twitter page.

Matthew Vaughn, who is rumored to be a contender for the highly coveted director's seat on Star Wars: Episode VII, is still attached to this upcoming adventure as a producer, and has contributed to the script. The story is rumored to be based on a 1981 plotline from the comic books, in which the young X-Men try to prevent a dystopian future ruled by Sentinels, giant pink and purple robots that hunt down and slaughter mutants.

It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds in what is still being considered a prequel to the original series of movies, as the comic takes place in 1981, some twenty years after X-Men: First Class. An older Kitty Pryde and a war torn Wolverine are the main protagonists, as they fight to restore a world where Senator Robert Kelly is still alive, and the mutants are locked away in an interment camp...Which will surely make Magneto (Michael Fassbender) very, very angry.