The Hollywood Reporter has released the news that director Bryan Singer has been tapped to helm the upcoming film Jack the Giant Killer for New Line Cinema and Legendary Pictures. The film takes a more adult look at the classic childrens tales, “Jack and the Beanstalk” and its cousin “Jack The Giant Killer” (the latter was already made into a 1962 stop-motion film).

This news comes as a bit of surprise (though it’s not being reported that way, for some reason), as last word around the ‘Net was that Eagle Eye director D.J. Caruso would be directing the film. After a quick search and survey I haven’t turned up anything explaining why Caruso is off the project and Singer is on, but hey, it’s Hollyweird so who knows…

D.J. Caruso, director of such films as Disturbia and Eagle Eye, has been signed on to direct Jack the Giant Killer, a drama that takes a more adult look at the classic children’s story Jack and the Beanstalk.

The New Line Cinema produced film has been written by Mark Bomback (writer of Live Free or Die Hard and the upcoming Race To Witch Mountain) and produced by Neil Moritz (I Am Legend, Click). Here is the synopsis:

When a princess is kidnapped, a long-standing peace between men and giants becomes threatened, and a young farmer is given an opportunity to lead a dangerous expedition to the giant kingdom to rescue her.