I’ve been wondering about this for a while, and it seems like Page Six is the only outlet really putting it into context. The background: Bryan Singer was fired from Bohemian Rhapsody in the late fall of 2017. He directed the majority of the film, but the production was epically troubled, as Singer would go missing for days at a time. Rami Malek was one of the reasons why Singer was fired – Rami went to the studio and told them everything about Singer’s manic behavior. That’s why Singer was fired, not because of the many civil lawsuits and articles alleging that he was a serial rapist and sexual predator. Since Singer was fired from Bohemian Rhapsody, he’s only been attached to one film: Red Sonja. He was announced as the director for Red Sonja just a few months after the BR shenanigans and many people were like “typical Hollywood bullsh–t.” But in the past year, it’s interesting that Red Sonja is the only thing he’s gotten, right? And Page Six puts that in context:
Bryan Singer — the original director of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” one of the most successful and critically acclaimed movies of 2018 — will never work for a major Hollywood studio again, sources say. Although the Freddie Mercury biopic has grossed more than $800 million worldwide so far and garnered five Oscar nominations, including for its star Rami Malek, Singer — long accused of having sex with underage boys — is now as unemployed as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Woody Allen.
The only producer willing to work with Singer, 53, is Avi Lerner, whose Millennium Films churns out such genre movies as “Texas Chainsaw 3D,” “The Legend of Hercules” and “The Expendables” and its two sequels. It was announced in September that Singer would direct “Red Sonja,” a “Conan the Barbarian” comic-book spinoff that Lerner had been trying to develop for 10 years with such actresses as Rose McGowan, Megan Fox and Amber Heard in the title role.
Lerner stood by Singer last week after the Atlantic published new accounts of four men who claimed they had sex with Singer when they were teenagers. Singer dismissed the story as “a homophobic smear piece.”
“I know the difference between agenda-driven fake news and reality, and I am very comfortable with this decision,” Lerner said, in a statement. “In America people are innocent until proven otherwise.” In 2017, an ex-employee accused Millennium Films of widespread sexual harassment.
But Singer is only “attached” to the movie and doesn’t have a contract yet. Sources said Lerner would be loath to pay Singer the full $10 million reported to be his fee.
“Avi is a bargain hunter,” one movie veteran said. “He sees an opportunity to hire a top director at less than a top salary. They may be able to reach a deal.”
That’s interesting, isn’t it? Singer makes profitable movies and he’s made a lot of people a lot of money, and I thought that the money would mean that Singer would be able to still have a Hollywood career for years to come. But it sounds like Avi Lerner is the only person in Hollywood willing to hire Singer, and even then, Lerner is just looking to pay Singer a fraction of his asking price. And they don’t have a contract. And I doubt many people will want to work with Singer on Red Sonja. So… look at that. An alleged predator might not get a “second chance.”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Interesting that he doesn’t have a contract yet. So Learner is going to use the story to try to get his fee from $10 million down to $3 million or something. Instead of, you know, NOT hiring a predator?
And Bohemian Rhapsody still should not win any Oscars. TERRIBLE look for the Academy. But I will say this is the first bit of good news in this whole disaster of a situation.
Well it’s going to win at least one, Best Actor. The Academy will be fine. They are not nor have they ever been known as a paragon of virtue.
Yeah sadly it will win one. And it’s a decision that will age terrrrribly. Good thing I haven’t watched the Oscars in years I guess! 😁
I don’t care that Rami Malek’s Oscar will be forever tainted by the association with an accused child rapist (tough luck!) but I’m beyond sad this has touched poor Freddie Mercury’s legacy.
His Oscar won’t be any more tainted than Cate Blanchett’s for Blue Jasmine, a Woody Allen pic.
That’s my point though. Her Blue Jasmine Oscar was SIX years ago…and she’s still being asked to account for it and it still gets mentioned in concert with the Allen accusation. It will be the same for him. Again I don’t really care, he made his bed (as did Blanchett), but the fact that it touches on Freddie Mercury at all is just the worst. Freddie deserved better.
lol I think Cate and her career are just fine. Prominent actors have agreed to work with Woody Allen right up to 2019. My original point, if you go back and read it, is that this is not the industry that has a moral compass or even cares that it doesn’t have one. Everyone knows that half the industry is perverted so many awards are, in your words, tainted. It simply doesn’t matter.
Yes he will be fine, he will work. But you have to admit it’s sad that it doesn’t matter? It would be nice if they could all be and do better. I guess I’m just not nihilistic.
An Oscar is largely meaningless after a few weeks anyway which will help this go away. As to whether the taint on it when it’s mentioned in the future bothers him? I guess that’s a personal thing. It’s sad to think these people work hard to be acknowledged by a….perverted industry with no moral compass. Or maybe most of them are also perverted and/or have no moral compass. Wow…I never thought of it that way. Sigh…I miss when I was naive and Oscars meant something.
Anyway, I don’t have anything else to add to this. It is what it is. Have a good day!
It will get an Oscar but not for actor, I still think that will go to Bale.
The academy do not seem to care they have given awards to well known predators before
hes a serial sexual predator that many powerful people in hollywood have enabled. literally the ONLY actor in hollywood with the guts and decency to openly speak out and condemn him is ellen barkin. everyone else is silent and complicit. people knew for decades what he would do they turned the other way to protect their own self interest. its vile.
“…he will never work for a major Hollywood studio again…”
Until we need him desperately!
I don’t know why they always feel they “need” the the same few people, when there are tons and tons of talented people waiting to get a break.
The irony being, if you look at his CV, Singer’s greatest accomplishment after The Usual Suspects was simply 2 movies where the best that can be said is that he didn’t screw it up (X Men 1 & 2, which weren’t great but at least weren’t terrible) and 1 that he was fired from mid-shooting but was successful because of the subject and it’s leading man (Bohemian Rhapsody). Singer has made some crap – Valkyrie, Jack the Giant Killer, that AWFUL Superman movie. Clearly, he’s got some powerful friends because he’s not some wunderkind genius. He’s a predator that throws tantrums at his workplace.
As an aside, I wonder how the Valkyrie experience was in hindsight. Singer consistently behaves badly onset, and Cruise (for whatever his other failings are) is immensely professional.
Excellent news 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Still wondering what Singer knows and about who he knows it. On his own he isnt powerful enough to have Hearst kill a story. He has money and some power in Hollywood and he could bully an individual victim sure but not power players like that.
Sounds like he knows quite a bit considering the descriptions of the parties he would throw with other Hollywood executives and young boys.
His parties were legendary and THAT’s what he has on the power players in HW. He basically provided young, vulnerable men/boys to HW power players.
He’s a horrible person. Enty has done a bit of work exposing him and other pedophiles too.
Who else is a pedophile? Please share cause I never want to give them my money.
I guess he is rich enough to not having to work again anyway. He might be “cancelled” but still living the sweet life. This guy belongs in jail.
I wonder if David Geffen is one of those powerful friends that has protected him. But i’ve always felt that Singer has to have had dirt on people to have been protected for so long.
That’s certainly the name that comes up the most. There’s a lot of speculation that it’s about people who have attended his “parties” over the years. The possibility being he’s kept some evidence of that I suppose?
Ugh, now I need a shower.
@Ash I think you’re right on the money.
Three words: an open secret.
The film Hollywood boycotted that was saying many of the things that are in the article.
Yet everyone knew and was ok with hiring him up to now. Gross.
Avi Lerner is the guy who threatened Terry Crews when Terry spoke up about being assaulted.
I think Avi and his company are being sued for sex harassment issues, aren’t they? That’s what Sarah indicated over at Lainey Gossip.
Oh, REALLY?? Well that explains why he is perfectly comfortable keeping Singer on as director. Good luck to him getting ANY actress of note to sign on though.
As other commenters reiterated: he has a lot of dirt on powerful people who partecipated in those disgusting sex rings. I’m sure he will “disappear” for a bit and then get hired again. Notice how very few trade papers picked up on the story? Notice how not one actor is making statements like they did with Woody Allen and Weinstein?
It’s incredible how nobody will cover it. Kudos to Page Six for running something.
Woody Allen is only recently “unemployed.” Timothee Chalamet, Liev Schreiber, Rebecca Hall and Selena Gomez star in his newest movie which was due to be released this year until it was shelved. This is decades after the molestation accusations and post-MeToo to boot. How do you really explain their involvement? I won’t be convinced that someone is really ~through in the industry until 10+ years have passed and still no one will hire them.
Good. He’s a good director of schlock, but the behaviour detailed in the Atlantic is despicable… and I’m sure Hollywood will find some other director for their banal movies.
Good. It’s not like the industry is missing out on some prodigious filmmaker, either. That argument about making people a lot of money is debatable, to be honest. If you go look into his filmography he has a lot of flops. And his commercial successes were the kind of films people would watch no matter what: Superman, X-Men, and a Queen biopic. He’s got The Usual Suspects, I guess, but that was 20 years ago. Now let’s just hope all those big money gigs he won’t get now will go to non-sexual predators more deserving of them.
Curious what actresses and actors they’d be able to get attached to this if they sign a contract with Singer anyway? Even if they don’t end up signing a contract with him, the movie is a bit tainted now isn’t it? It’s all a mess and I’m so sick of hearing people shout “fake news” at anything they don’t agree with. Singer has been accused by multiple people over the course of many years, where there’s smoke, there tends to be fire.
Good.
I hate how Page Six says “long accused of having sex with underage boys.” No, it’s RAPE.
Thank you!!!!!!!!!
Not happening until there are receipts. This could be just another layer to get people off his back.
He can also potentially work as a writer, producer, second camera. He has too many friends who are used to waiting controversy out.
The public need to apply pressure. I’m surprised Brad Renfro being clearly and obviously mentioned didn’t get more traction – that poor kid.
This is why people don’t speak up because nothing substantial or significant happens to these predators.
Also sure there are people who’d talk about his friends if something happened to Singer but he’s as slippery as an eel. Ugh.
Well I highly doubt that Amber Heard would take the lead in Red Sonja if he’s attached.
She has an upcoming movie with terrence howard it will be interesting what she has to say about that
She has an upcoming movie with terrence howard soo i doubt it
He’s obviously a horrible person but as a director/writer, he’s mediocre. His movies are corny, overwrought in a sentimental way, and immature. Superman Returns, X-Men, and The Usual Suspects were overrated. When he tried serious drama, the result was the huge bomb Valkyrie, which had some really laughable moments. Haven’t seen Bohemian Rapsody but lots of people are saying it’s not a great film either.
Yet there are many predators still working in the industry. They are just getting rid of the more public ones. Hollywood will always be rotten to the core.