Fox’s plans for the X-Men franchise beyond next year’s X-Men: Apocalypse are unclear, especially as now know that Bryan Singer won’t be delving straight into another of the Marvel movies. He’s confirmed via his Instagram account that he will actually be tackling 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a movie which has been stuck in development hell for years.

David Fincher came close to getting the Jules Verne penned novel made, but the project fell apart when he butted heads with Disney over casting. However, since then, Singer has written the story for the movie alongside screenwriters Rick Sordelet and Dan Studney.

“It’s my 50th birthday (ouch), and I just put the finishing touches on the script for my next film,” the filmmaker revealed. “A story I’ve wanted to retell since childhood. I promise this will be an epic and emotional adventure for all ages! An adventure very dear to my heart. Not abandoning the #xmen universe. Very excited about #xmenapocalypse and beyond.”

2016 will see the release of Deadpool, Gambit, and X-Men: Apocalypse, with Wolverine 2 scheduled for 2017 alongside the Fantastic Four sequel (which it’s hard to believe will ever actually be made). Whether Fox will wait for Singer or bring someone else in to helm the next X-Men movie – presumably for a 2018 release – obviously remains to be seen for now.

Regardless, this is very exciting news about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it’s going to be fun to see how the movie comes together, especially under Bryan Singer’s direction.

It’s my 50th birthday (ouch), and I just put the finishing touches on the script for my next film. A story I’ve wanted to retell since childhood. I promise this will be an epic and emotional adventure for all ages! An adventure very dear to my heart.  Not abandoning the #xmen universe. Very excited about #xmenapocalypse and beyond. #julesverne #20000leaguesunderthesea #nemo

A photo posted by Bryan Singer (@bryanjaysinger) on