Ever since Bryan Singer jumped ship from the successful X-Men franchise in favor of the Man of Steel, geeks everywhere have been wondering who would succeed him as director. Names have come and gone several times now, and fan favorites like Joss Whedon (who currently pens the Amazing X-Men comic title) have been tossed by the wayside. This week more possibilities have been named.

Earlier this week ign reported that Dawn of the Dead director Zack Snyder was on the hotlist of potential directors. This seems to be being met with some excitement from fans, although I’m not certain why. Dawn of the Dead was a neat genre film, but it was far from a good movie in general. Most of the tricks Snyder brought to that film were exactly what I was afraid X-Men would be from the start, and I’d hate to see the franchise taken that direction.

On the other hand, earlier this week we reported that auditions were reportedly being held in Austin, Texas - stomping grounds of Troublemaker Studios’ Robert Rodriguez who is also rumored to be on that same hotlist. Rodriguez directing an X-Men film is probably a pipe dream, but at the same time he’d be a strong candidate. Between his El Mariachi and Spy Kids trilogies, Rodriguez has certainly proven he has the versatility to pull off something like this.

Regardless of who’s directing, at least some of the cast will be returning. It’s already confirmed that Famke Janssen and Alan Cumming are returning for the third film, and in an interview earlier this week it also appears Halle Berry might be returning as well. Hopefully the team will be able to make a third installment as impressive as the first two were.