Variety has reported that 20th Century Fox has signed director Bryan Singer to an overall development deal. The project will include projects for Singer to produce and direct. Singer has named his production company BAD HAT HARRY, which is a reference from his favorite film, Jaws.

This is the first studio production deal for Singer who first attracted attention with The Usual Suspects. “I’ve been stockpiling a number of different projects in movies, TV and videogames, and it’s great to have a base of operation and a place to put writers to work,” said Singer.

Fox and Singer have also begun separate negotiations for X-MEN 3. “We had such a fantastic experience with Bryan on X2,” said Hutch Parker, Fox production president. “He was a great partner who navigated the process, which included the magnitude of the budget, the number of visual effects, and our desire to build on the first film and make a better and more satisfying movie. The deal is an outgrowth of the strong relationship we built on those two films.”