Christopher McQuarrie, who went uncredited for his work on "X-Men", was hired to write the screenplay in August 2009. Darren Aronofsky was chosen to direct the film but bowed out, stating the project would keep him out of the country for too long. James Mangold was later hired to direct the film. Mark Bomback was then hired to rewrite McQuarrie's script. Principal photography began in August 2012 in Sydney, Australia, and ended in November. The film was released on July 26, 2013.