20th Century Fox is looking for a new director to helm the third film in the "X-Men" franchise.

Director Matthew Vaughn has dropped out of "X3's" production due to family obligations, Variety reports.

In a statement, the studio said "as the shooting schedule evolved he realized he would have to move to Los Angeles and (the film's location) Vancouver for at least a year. Not wishing to uproot his family for an extended period, Vaughn opted to depart the production."

"X3" is still scheduled to begin production on August 2 for a May 26, 2006 release.