Bryan Singer has inked a rich, three-for-one deal with ABC.

Under the seven-figure pact, Singer, the director of such blockbusters as "X-Men," "X2: X-Men United" and most recently "Superman Returns," will develop three scripts for the network, one of which is guaranteed to go to pilot.

Singer, who will develop the projects through his company Bad Hat Harry Prods., will executive produce and direct the pilot.

This is the first formal television deal for Singer, who spearheaded the early development of Sci Fi Channel's critically praised series "Battlestar Galactica," executive produced the channel's miniseries "The Triangle" and directed and executive produced the pilot for Fox's medical drama "House."

Singer is an executive producer on "House," which has emerged as a blockbuster hit for Fox and recently landed a best drama series Emmy nomination.

It was during the casting of the pilot for "House" that Singer became drawn to the immediacy and longevity of the TV series business. He realized back then that he was not just assembling a cast for a 15-day shoot but also an acting ensemble that could become a staple on TV for years to come.

"You put something together in a quick time frame and get to create something that could have a long-lasting effect," Singer said.

What's more, "television has an organic quality to it," he said. "Movies are pretty set. TV shows are open-ended, they can evolve over time."

What sets Singer's deal with ABC apart from other high-profile, three-for-one pacts is that it is not tied to a studio. This gives Singer the flexibility to develop with writers at any studio.

This was the decisive factor in setting up the deal at ABC, Singer said.

"I like the freedom," he said, adding, "and ABC is a good network."

In his development, Singer is open to all genres, including comedy. Bad Hat Harry's head of production, Alex Garcia, will oversee the development process for the company.

The three-for-one formula has worked well for big-name feature directors venturing into television. This past development season, CBS inked such a deal with "National Treasure" director Jon Turteltaub. The pilot that came out of it, "Jericho," landed on CBS' fall schedule. Ridley and Tony Scott's similar arrangement at CBS resulted in the successful crime drama "Numbers," which is going into a third season in the fall.

Singer has been busy on the feature side. The director is in Tokyo wrapping up the global promotional tour for "Superman Returns." He also is in talks for a sequel to the film, which revived the "Superman" franchise after a 19-year hiatus.

Singer, whose feature credits also include the critically acclaimed "The Usual Suspects," is repped by WMA and attorney David Feldman of Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal & LaViolette.