Superman Returns director Bryan Singer eyeing new version of Excalibur

Bryan Singer is eyeing a remake John Boorman’s 1981 Excalibur, the classic tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The new project is in early development, with Warners Brothers recently nabbing the remake rights, which it shares with Boorman. Singer is negotiating his role in the potential project and Legendary Pictures may come aboard the project as well. Singer would produce with Julie Yorn, along with Polly Johnsen.

The 1981 film starred Nigel Terry as Arthur and Cherie Lunghi as Guenevere. That film also starred Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart and Gabriel Byrne. Excalibur’s ubiquitous tale is of the young man who draws the sword Excalibur from a stone, is mentored by Merlin the magician, establishes Camelot, loses his wife Guenevere to his best friend, Lancelot, and sets about a quest for the Holy Grail. Singer’s version is expected to be more epic and fantasy-driven, compared to the 2004 Clive Owen film King Arthur, which Antoine Fuqua directed.

Whether the director takes on Excalibur or not, Singer’s next movie is shaping up to be Jack the Giant Killer, an action fantasy about a young farmer who leads a rescue mission to a kingdom of giants after a princess is kidnapped.

No word on where this leaves Singer’s potential involvement with a Battlestar Galactica feature film.