In 1993, 20th Century Fox and producer Lauren Shuler Donner bought the film rights to the X-Men. Andrew Kevin Walker was hired to write, and James Cameron expressed interest in producing. Eventually, Bryan Singer signed on to direct in July 1996. Although he was not a comic book fan, Singer was fascinated by the analogies of prejudice and discrimination that "X-Men" offered. John Logan, Joss Whedon, Ed Solomon, Christopher McQuarrie, and David Hayter wrote the script, with Hayter receiving sole credit. Principal photography began in September 1999 in Toronto, Canada, and ended in March 2000. The film was released on July 14, 2000.