Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Entertainment officially set Brett Ratner on Friday night to replace Matthew Vaughn as the director of "X3," the third installment of the "X-Men" franchise reports Variety.

The hiring keeps the film on track for an August start date and a Memorial Day weekend 2006 opening date. A comicbook enthusiast, Ratner was among the helmers considered to direct the first "X-Men"; the job went to Bryan Singer. Ratner then spent a full year developing "Superman Returns," the film that ultimately prompted Singer to drop out of directing "X3."

Fox had hoped to put Ratner to work on "Josiah's Canon," a heist movie that was all but ready to shoot when star Sean Connery announced he was dropping out. Fox's hiring of Ratner also means that "Rush Hour 3" will most certainly miss New Line's projected fall start and summer 2006 release dates.

The "X3" budget is locked, and the script by Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg is said to be at least as strong as that of the first two installments. The original returning stars have been signed, as have Kelsey Grammer, Vinnie Jones and Maggie Grace ("Lost") as new mutant characters.

Thanks to 'Wilcox'.