The only person at some point connected with X-Men that I loath more than Bryan Singer is Matthew "I wrote this script in six days" Vaughn. Good news, the guy is gone. Kind of like God when he created the Earth. Six days of work then he vanishes to let the place fall apart. Aint-It-Cool-News has the exclusive word on big changes with the X-Men 3 project, and it looks like the whole thing is about to go back into upheaval.

According to AICN, controversial director Matthew Vaughn has left the project of his own volition, to deal with what Marvel head Avi Arad describes as personal issues. Where does that leave the project? Your guess is as good as mine. Arad is making the usual assurances, indicating that they'll be making a casting announcement for Angel in the coming week as well as announcing the new director who AICN describes as "someone who had circled the project earlier. "

But bringing in a new director now, you've got to wonder if they'll finally shift that aggressive release date. And what of casting? Was Kelsey Grammar actually signed? What if the new director doesn't want him? Will they keep the same script, which Matthew Vaughn had a hand in? Just when it looked like the project was settling in, we're back at square one with X-Men.

Keep checking back to CB regularly, we'll do our best to have the latest.

UPDATE! The Hollywood Reporter has a little more to add on the reasons for Vaughn's depature. They have this to say: "Vaughn, who had planned to commute between the film's Vancouver location and his family in London, said that he'd come to realize that he would have to move to L.A. and Vancouver for a year, and he decided he did not want to uproot his family for an extended period."

Am I crazy, or did Matthew Vaughn just drop the biggest, most important gig of his career in mid-production because he didn't care for the commute? Wow, either that's a rediculous lie to cover something up, or he really is the most half-assed director of our time. If it's the latter, just another reason to be glad the man's gone.