If you thought the list of sexual misconduct allegations made against Bryan Singer were going to sink his career, think again.
Avi Lerner, the producer of Singer’s next scheduled film Red Sonja, says the director will keep his job despite the string of new allegations made against him in that damning exposé published by The Atlantic this week.
Not only that, but Singer will be paid $10 million for directing the action-adventure film.
“I continue to be in development for Red Sonja and Bryan Singer continues to be attached,” Lerner tells the Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
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Related: Shocking new sexual misconduct claims lodged against Bryan Singer in damning exposé
The Atlantic’s year-long investigation looked at multiple allegations of underage sexual misconduct made against the Bohemian Rhapsody director, speaking to over 50 sources, including four who have never spoken out before.
71-year-old Lerner, who himself is no stranger to sexual misconduct allegations, went on to call the allegations made against Singer “fake news”.
“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.”
Following The Atlantic’s exposé, Singer released a statement calling it a “smear piece” written by a “a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997.”
“It’s sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low standard of journalistic integrity,” Singer said. “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.”
Related: Rami Malek finally breaks his silence about Bryan Singer’s underage sex scandals
Brian
The sheer number of accusers is staggering enough to be evidence in itself, though circumstantial. These are men and boys who do not and could not know one another.
It’s also beyond creepy that Bryan Singer used to hang out with multiple older men who have since been convicted of child pornography and sexual abuse. He’s going to the parties, but claims not to know that that stuff happened there. How is he friends with so many rapists? That’s not normal.
I really wish a few of these cases could be tried by a judge. Get it off Instagram, leave out the hired public relations spinners. I’m tired of hearing spin.
Vince
Singer was just lucky he didn’t mess with a celebrity kid like Anthony Rapp. Unfortunately that’s what it takes.
iamru2
Look up the mcmartin school pedo case not to mention the Salem witch hunts then get back to us on your theory.
Chrisk
Accept the McMartin preschool case and the Salem witch Hunt trials had absolutely no evidence.
To be eqaul it would be like having one of the mcmartins say yes they had sex with the kids but they actually enjoyed it. Therefore nothing criminal happened
QueerTruth
“The sheer number of accusers is staggering enough to be evidence in itself”
I believe that’s almost verbatim from what was said during the Salem Witch Trails.
Brian
@QueerTruth Bryan Singer’s defense is that he frequently attended parties where adult men raped children, but he himself wasn’t one of the rapists. Rapists, by the way, are real. Witches aren’t real. You’re a creep for defending him.
Vince
So Lerner has a history of sexual assaults too. Shocking! Ha. I’ll bet he identifies as a Republican too. They love using their “fake news!” sound bites.
I never thought for a second Singer wasn’t going to get hired again. Especially by douchebag film producers who want a piece of that 800 million. Only way for that to end is doing a audience walk out like they did to Spacey.
Oh and Singers argument against the Atlantic is laughable. They did a very thorough job because they knew Singers lawyers were going through it with a fine tooth comb looking for cracks.
PinkoOfTheGange
No he is just your standard 70 y/o stereotypical Hollywood misogynistic lech. Saying inappropriate things to the the female employees and hiring unqualified women (reported to be his girlfriends) to be associate producers from out side the firm. No one accused him of assault.
Billy Budd
Talent is something NOBODY can take from you. I for one, believe in his innocence. His mistake was to have sex with poor people and escorts. These people will do anything for money.
Billy Budd
He is the one being taken advantage of. These call boys are like vultures.
Vince
Yes it’s probably true that they were poor as most kids are. Taking advantage of kids as young as 14 with drugs and alcohol can mess anyone up though. Your vilifying them is disgusting.
Billy Budd
I am pretty sure whatever happened was consensual. I don’t believe he raped anybody. On the other hand, I am totally against Michael Jackson, who believed himself to be a child and always had REAL children around him. He probably never raped any of the children, but some sex stuff must have occurred.
Heywood Jablowme
@Billy Budd: “I am pretty sure whatever happened was consensual.”
Pretty sure, huh? Are you clairvoyant? Obviously you didn’t read the Atlantic piece where several guys are pretty sure they were molested.
shakes_head
14 year olds can’t legally give consent…
iamru2
Yae screw proof and convictions in a court of law. Social justice nazis can’t be bothered with such trivial nonsense!
Heywood Jablowme
Singer calls the Atlantic article a “smear piece” written by a “a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997”.
It has TWO co-authors so who’s he referring to?
It interviews several alleged victims who are now openly gay adults, and there’s nothing homophobic about how they’re quoted or treated. Does Singer think there’s an insinuation that he “turned them gay” or something?
Chrisk
That is a strange remark considering that the author or authors never once made it look like they looked down on anyone’s life. Everything seemed pretty straightforward.
spacecadet
It’s an obvious deflection tactic like Kevin Spacey was using when he came out of the closet publicly as some kind of excuse for his deviant behavior. Or perhaps it’s more akin to what Justice Clarence Thomas said during his confirmation hearings when Anita Hill accused of him of sexual harassment by calling the proceedings “a modern day lynching” in order to deflect from the serious charges being levied against him from a credible accuser.
redzebra1
It’s called ‘gaslighting.’ Or ‘poising the well’. Discrediting the source, etc.
GentlemanCaller
Innocent, guilty, or somewhere in between, I still fail to understand why someone who is accused of impropriety is expected to immediately lose their job, their reputation, their voice, and their future, and go slither under a rock for the rest of eternity. These are accusations, nothing more. There are a lot of them, and they’re damning if true, but until they’re something other than someone saying something happened–which is an easy thing to say, especially when the bandwagon involves a high-profile Hollywood type with lots of bruised egos in the city–then they’re really nothing. Show me film, play a tape, produce emails or texts or photos or eyewitnesses…do something other than just say it’s so, and I’ll join the chorus of outrage.
Chrisk
If you read the Atlantic article they did a very good job of weaving things together. Names, timelines, records, eyewitnesses, events, etc.
No it’s not as good as having it filmed but it’s it’s as good as you’re ever going to get.
jjose712
I agree. Some of the people involved in these scandals had a previous bad reputation but nobody should be punished till proved guilty.
People keep mentioned that Kevin Spacey was blacklisted almost inmeditely while others didn’t face that much consecuences (Casey Affleck even received an oscar). In my opinion Spacey downfall has a lot to do with his behaviour on set. He was not like by his fellows so it was easy to make him dissapear
Chrisk
Everything happened to Spacey because of Anthony Rapp.
iamru2
@chrisk do you really believe that you can rely on an article to convict someone? Man that is really terrifying!
redzebra1
“These are accusations, nothing more.” same with Kevin Spacey, but Netflix dumped him anyway! Double standards!
PinkoOfTheGange
Netflix dumped Spacey after polling the cast and crew. It was released about how toxic Spacey was on set. Also Netflix was looking at ending the show prior to the poo and fan, it was just trying to figure out if it was going to be one or two more seasons.
Black Pegasus
Yet another allegation yet still no proof that he raped or drugged underaged boys. But the lack of proof won’t stop the online mobs from canceling him.
frankcar1965
Again, nothing has ever come of the allegations, the police dismissed them. Add to that, the one accuser dropped the charges and then was put in jail himself for larceny I think. When will there be charges against him? There won’t because nothing happened, it is just a slam against a successful gay man. The MeToo movement just aggravated it. How come no charges have been filed? I hope he makes hundreds of millions of dollars! All you tongue wagging viper gays will rush to see the movie I’m sure.
redzebra1
He’s not sacked after trial by media but Kevin Spacey IS??! This is unfair.
PinkoOfTheGange
Different circumstances.
Jack Meoff
I am getting tired of hearing about all the allegations against various people. Get back to me when they are convicted and being sentenced.
Heywood Jablowme
Take out “Bryan Singer” and replace with “Catholic priest” in any of these stories, and the reaction in Queerty comments would be much different. Boys tend NOT to report such incidents at the time so the statute of limitations runs out (but that doesn’t rule out civil settlements, as we’ve seen with the church), police in the past tended to discount or laugh at such incidents, there was a long-running coverup by the employers, it wasn’t easy for news media to report on it (see the movie “Spotlight”), etc. etc.
PinkoOfTheGange
At the beginning of the Priest crisis few believed that Father Thom could of done any of those things, even if they suspected that strange things happen around some priest that move around a lot, and still when a specific person is named it is difficult to get people to believe.
How many Cosby accusers had to come forward before even a third of the commenters said he had to of done it. It was a lot more than 3 + a maybe. (I deeply discount random tweets and know hucksters.)
surreal33
Mr Singer is rich and has the complexion for protection nothing is going happen to him.
Please see Roman Polanski as example of what happens when you are rich and white.
spacecadet
Exceptions always occur. Look at Kevin Spacey: lost his career and now he’s facing criminal proceedings. Same with Harvey Weinstein. And even Roman Polanski is being punished. He was convicted in American court and if he sets foot in the country again he’ll be immediately jailed.
redzebra1
PinkoOfTheGange no SAME circumstances. Spacey hasn’t been convicted anymore than singer, Netflix dumped him because of ONE accuser. How many accusers does Singer have to be denounced by before he gets dumped and or arrested?
Polaro
Liking younger guys is not a crime. Younger guys begging to get invited to these parties to do exactly what they did is undeniable; they flocked to them. Did everyone get what they wanted, no? Did many decide later that they made bad choices, yes? Lots of people trade sex for things they want, as most of these guys did: access to the A-list parties, booze, drugs, sex. None of this is a crime; more like a gay drama, except…
It seems undeniable that this went too far in instances with underage boys and instances of actual rape. These stories seem very plausible and I believe they happened. This is where the line is drawn. The rest of it is the hard truths of life.
Bryan is in for a world of hurt, it’s a matter of time. Why people turned on Kevin Spacey, who is far less egregious than Bryan Singer is a mystery to me. Unless you count the money and see that Bryan has generated more than Kevin. It probably is that banal and evil.
redzebra1
Yeah, if Spacey had that much money hanging WOULD he have been dropped? It’s conceivable not. Perhaps if Singer raped Barron, Donald Trump’s son, or some other important person’s child, YEAH, then the feds would raid his mansion like they have Roger Stone’s. Bah!