Twentieth Century Fox has hired comics superstar Brian Michael Bendis to script a new film for its X-Men universe, currently titled 143, Deadline is reporting.

The new mystery film will be directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool). Miller was also recently linked to development for a solo Kitty Pryde film (see “Kitty Pryde Headed to the Silver Screen?”).  Coincidentally or not, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #143 from March 1981 was a Christmas story which saw Kitty Pryde (Sprite) left alone at the X-Mansion, forced to battle a demon N’Garai.

Bendis is going to be busy this year, with the film script and all the titles he’s writing for DC (see “Multitude of Brian Michael Bendis Titles Revealed by DC”).