“Red Sonja” is no longer scheduled to go into production this year, reports Variety, as the controversy surrounding director Bryan Singer continues. The news comes after producer Avi Lerner released a statement standing by the filmmaker, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by men who were underage at the time of the alleged incidents. “The project is not on the slate at the moment and is not for sale at the European Film Market in Berlin,” said a spokeswoman for Avi Lerner’s studio.
“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,” Lerner previously said of the situation. “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 otherwise.”
He also defended Singer just this weekend: “The complaints I receive ask why I don’t fire him, and the answer is simple: Bryan hasn’t been found guilty of anything in court,” Lerner told YNet News. “We take these accusations in all seriousness and we looked into them, but at the moment, from what we gather, they are completely baseless.”
Singer was eventually replaced on “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Dexter Fletcher but retains sole credit due to Directors Guild of America guidelines. He is also well known for directing “The Usual Suspects” and four “X-Men” films.
The filmmaker has denied all allegations against him and referred to the most recent article about them as “a homophobic smear piece” that “rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits.” Red Sonja is a comic-book character of the sword-and-sorcery variety first introduced by Marvel Comics in 1973 who was previously the subject of a 1984 film starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger. No one has been cast in the new version as of yet.
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