UPDATE: Slashfilm tracked down the red carpet video, and it does not appear that Singer is joking. Check it out below.

So, either Bryan Singer has a very good sense of irony, or he's actually willing to return to the X-Men franchise even after they replaced him with Brett Ratner for the third installment of the franchise he started. Yes, the rumor mill has started about Singer returning for a future prequel X-Men: First Class, after he apparently told a reporter on the Avatar red carpet that he'd just signed on for the film.

The news, however, has been filtered through a heavy dose of rumor-- Superhero Hype is reporting everything we know so far, but since it's all just hearsay about what we've probably heard when MySpace was reporting from the carpet, no one really knows for sure. Until someone can get in touch with Singer or his reps, call this very much a rumor. Plus, can Singer actually revive the franchise at this point, especially with a Deadpool spinoff going forward from where X-Men Origins: Wolverine started? I'd love to see Singer return and course-correct the X-Men franchise, but it seems more useful for him to move on to something that appreciates his efforts more.