Back in December of last year, Bryan Singer finally had to face some consequences. For years and decades, there were rumors about Singer and his interest in teenage boys. For years, there were rumors of lawsuits about to be filed, or settlements that were hushed up. It was clear that Singer had powerful friends, and it was clear that the Hollywood establishment still believed in Singer generally speaking, as long as those establishment people could look the other way when it came to the rumors. It was in December that Singer dropped out of public view very mysteriously, and rumor was that an exposé was about to drop. It did not. But Singer was fired from directing Bohemian Rhapsody after notably unprofessional behavior (he disappeared for days and weeks at a time and apparently threw something at Rami Malek). Days after Singer was fired, a lawsuit was filed – Singer was accused of raping a 17-year-old boy on a yacht in 2003.

In the months afterwards, we didn’t hear much about the lawsuit or Singer. He went into hiding, he kept out of public view. But this late summer/early autumn seems to be the moment so many “recovering predators” are trying to launch their comebacks. So of course we get this piece of news in the trade papers:

Bryan Singer is in negotiations to direct Millennium’s Red Sonja. The X-Men: Apocalypse helmer, who has battled bad PR, lawsuits and continued scrutiny in the post-#MeToo era — none of which seems to have stuck — would take the reins on a big-screen adaptation of the 1970s sword and sorcery Conan the Barbarian comic book spinoff. Ashley Miller, who wrote X-Men: First Class (which Singer produced), is writing the screenplay.

Millennium is financing and producing the new version of Sonja and is hoping to start a franchise and capture the audience that turned out for Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman. A Sonya movie has been in the works at Millennium for over a decade and Singer boarding the project would put it back on the fast-track. In 2008, Robert Rodriguez teamed up with his then-girlfriend Rose McGowan for the project, making a big splashy announcement at Comic-Con that year. But those two fell off the project and it has languished in deep development, with writers coming and going ever since. Previously, the property spawned a 1985 movie starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Sources say Millennium will pay Singer top dollar for the assignment, which is seen as a step toward rehabilitating the director’s image. Singer was fired by Fox after repeatedly not showing up for work on the set of its Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, among other work offenses. In December, he was sued by Cesar Sanchez-Guzman, who accused the director of raping him when he was a 17-year-old boy in 2003. It wasn’t the first time that Singer had faced such an accusation. Singer is set to receive full directing credit and the movie is now generating strong buzz inside and outside of the studio. While audiences and critics will be the jury on Bohemian Rhapsody when it opens Nov. 2, Millennium is willing to take a chance on Singer given that “none of the allegations seem to have merit,” says an insider.

Singer was dropped by his agency, WME, earlier this year and has been negotiating the Red Sonja deal with the help of his attorney David Feldman.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

Well, there you go. This is how Hollywood is going to deal with all of the predators: they will make them “go away” for about eight or nine months, then they’ll be welcomed back with open arms. If they’re white dudes. Meanwhile, where are all of the directors and casting agents who should be lining up work for all of the actors and actresses who were abused, harassed and assaulted? *crickets* Oh, right. Only men like Bryan Singer get second chances.

Photos courtesy of WENN.