Bryan Singer Will Still Direct ‘Red Sonja’ Despite New Allegations

Bryan Singer will keep his $10 million dollar “Red Sonja” directing gig with Millennium Films despite a recent resurgence of sexual misconduct allegations. A statement from producer Avi Lerner responded to a recent Atlantic exposé alleging years of abuse of underage boys at the hands of the director, including accounts from two previously unreported victims. Four men told The Atlantic that Singer was explicitly sexual with them in the 1990s.

“I continue to be in development for REED SOJNA,” Lerner wrote, misspelling the movie’s title. “And Bryan Singer continues to be attached.” The statement comes on the heels of another announcement, this time by LGBT media watchdog group GLAAD, which took Singer’s film “Bohemian Rhapsody” out of the running for its annual awards following the Atlantic piece.

Lerner, for his part, revealed in thinly veiled language that he is solely motivated by money.

“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 said. “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.”

Singer has faced sexual misconduct claims since at least 1997, when the parents of a 14-year-old extra on his movie “Apt Pupil” sued the director and the film’s producers for allegedly filming their son and other minors naked for a shower scene without permission. The lawsuit was dismissed for insufficient evidence.

Singer denied the allegations, calling the Atlantic story a “a homophobic smear piece” that “rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits.”

“Red Sonja” is a reboot of the 1985 film starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In May of 2017, a former Millennium Films executive filed a harassment lawsuit against the company, alleging that it fostered a culture that was demeaning toward actresses and female employees.