Following New Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Bryan Singer, Red Sonja Film Reportedly On Hold
John F. Trent
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After new sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against director Bryan Singer, a new report details that Millennium Films has put the upcoming Red Sonja film on hold.
Deadline reports a spokesperson for the studio told them, “the project is not on the slate at the moment and is not for sale at the EFM in Berlin.”
Singer became attached to Red Sonja last September, but Millennium Films has had the project in the works for over a decade. Singer was supposed to make top dollar for the film when news first broke of his involvement.
Singer’s most recent film Bohemian Rhapsody did exceptionally well at the box office bringing in over $844 million on a $52 million budget. However, the film’s creation had its own controversies with Singer right at the middle. In fact, Singer left the director’s chair with reports indicating he and lead actor Rami Malek were involved in an “escalating clash.”
However, Singer would deny those reports stating he left the job due to his “health, and the health of my loved ones.” He specifically disputed the claims there was a dispute with him and Malek:
“Rumors that my unexpected departure from the film was sparked by a dispute I had with Rami Malek are not true. While, at times, we did have creative differences on set, Rami and I successfully put those differences behind us and continued to work on the film together until just prior to Thanksgiving.”
Singer who has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct over the years including a recent lawsuit filed by Cesar Sanchez-Guzman claims Singer raped him when he was only 17 years old back in 2003. However, recent allegations stem from an article in The Atlantic, where four new individuals accused the director of sexual misconduct including rape and seducing them while underage.
Singer denied the allegations referring to them as a “homophobic smear piece.”
“The last time I posted about this subject, Esquire magazine was preparing to publish an article written by a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997. After careful fact-checking and, in consideration of the lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this piece of vendetta journalism.
That didn’t stop this writer from selling it to The Atlantic. It’s sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low standard of journalistic integrity. Again, I am forced to reiterate that this story rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention. And it is no surprise that, with Bohemian Rhapsody being an award-winning hit, this homophobic smear piece has been conveniently timed to take advantage of its success.”
Despite denying the allegations, BAFTA suspended Singer’s nomination for Bohemian Rhapsody, which was nominated in the Outstanding British film category. The film is still nominated, it’s only Singer’s nomination which has been suspended.
There are also rumors that Singer has been blackballed from Hollywood. Page Six’s Richard Johnson wrote that Avi Lerner’s Millennium Films was the only studio that was willing to work with Singer following the new allegations. Johnson quoted an anonymous Oscar-winning producer in his write-up, “I don’t think any domestic distributor will jump on [Red Sonja] right now.”
Millennium Films’ Avi Lerner did defend Singer.
“The over $800 million ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has grossed, making it the highest grossing drama in film history, is testament to his remarkable vision and acumen. I know the difference between agenda driven fake news and reality, and I am very comfortable with this decision. In America people are innocent until proven guilty.”
He would go on to clarify the statement:
“I don’t want to apologize. I just want to clarify [the statement]. I think victims should be heard and this allegation should be taken very, very seriously. I just don’t agree to judge by the Twitter. I want [the accused] to be judged by the court.”
What do you make of Millennium Films’ alleged decision to put Red Sonja on hold?
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