On Wednesday morning, The Atlantic published an extensive report on the molestation and sexual abuse allegations against Bryan Singer, including interviews with four new accusers, but the reporting has not affected Singer’s job directing the film Red Sonja. Millennium Films, which hired Singer to direct a reboot of the 1985 movie, responded to The Hollywood Reporter with a statement from producer Avi Lerner, which read, “I continue to be in development for Red Sonja and Bryan Singer continues to be attached.†It continued, “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. 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.â€
The Atlantic’s report includes allegations of rape, predation, and sexual abuse from Singer that stretch back to the 1990s. Singer denied all of the allegations and referred to the reporting as a “homophobic smear piece†in a statement. Singer was fired midway through filming Bohemian Rhapsody in December 2017 after throwing electric equipment during a fight with Rami Malek; he was replaced with Dexter Fletcher. The team behind the film has distanced itself from Singer since the onset of awards season; Bohemian Rapsody was recently nominated for five Oscars. Lerner and his companies Millennium Films and Nu Image Entertainment were sued in May 2017 by an former female employee who claimed to have experienced sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, and gender discrimination. Lerner told Deadline the lawsuit is “all lies. It’s all a joke.†After going public with an allegation of sexual assault against former WME agent Adam Venit, Terry Crews claimed that Lerner, who produced The Expendables, contacted his agent and told him that he could “avoid any ‘problems’ on the sequel†if he stopped pursuing charges against Venit.