X-Men is an American superhero film series based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. 20th Century Fox[Note 1] obtained the film rights to the team and other related characters in 1994 for $2,600,000. After numerous drafts, Bryan Singer was hired to direct the first film, released in 2000, and its sequel, X2 (2003), while the third installment of the original trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), was directed by Brett Ratner.