Bryan Singer, director of such hit films as The Usual Suspects, X-Men, and the upcoming Bohemian Rhapsody, has taken to Instagram to pre-emptively rebut an upcoming expose in Esquire magazine that details decades of allegations of sexual harassment and assault against him.
Singer has had a number of close brushes with the law — and a series of questionable judgments and associations — that have created an aura of suspicion around him. However, he has never been tried or convicted of any of the allegations against him. The allegations against him range from poor business associations and bad work habits to drug use, sexual assault, and indecency with a minor.
According to IndieWire, Singer’s troubles began on the set of the 1994 hit The Usual Suspects, which star Gabriel Byrne says temporarily shut down production at one point due to Kevin Spacey’s “inappropriate sexual behavior.” Singer denies that the production was ever suspended.
In 1997, parents of child actors involved in Singer’s film Apt Pupil sued Singer — and the film’s producers — for allegedly filming the children in a naked shower scene without parental permission. The lawsuit was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
From 1997 to 2000, Singer was involved with Marc Collins-Rector and Chad Shackley as a minor investor in the duo’s Digital Entertainment Network. Collins-Rector and Shackley became known for the wild parties thrown at their “M&C” estate, which were often attended by Singer as well as a number of underage boys. Some of those boys later sued the founders of DEN for sexual assaults — among other infractions — that allegedly occurred at these parties. When Collins-Rector and Shackley were arrested by Interpol after fleeing the country, they were caught “with an enormous collection of child pornography”.
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In 2002, the shooting of X-Men was delayed when Singer and Executive Producer Tom De Santo engaged in a “personal argument” so severe that star Halle Berry walked off from the production. The film was made, but Singer and De Santo never worked together again.
In 2005, production on Singer’s Superman Returns went way over budget. The production was beleaguered by Singer’s absence from the set on some days, while during other days he appeared to be “heavily medicated.” Executive Producer Chris Lee went to Australia to help to control Singer, but another executive later lamented that “Chris wasn’t able to do with Bryan what what we’d thought he’d be able to do. We needed someone who would be able to control and guide Bryan a little better.” A friend told the media that Singer was “battling his own demons.” Singer’s attorney refuted the allegations of Singer’s drug abuse, saying that Singer “took medication for back pain”.
In 2014, former child actor Michael F. Egan filed a civil lawsuit alleging that Singer and some of Singer’s associates had sexually assaulted him. Singer vehemently denied the charges. It was ultimately discovered that Egan’s accusations were false, and Singer was exonerated. At the same time, another former child star made accusations of sexual assault against Singer and his friend, Gary Goddard. The plaintiff also dropped that case.
In 2015, during production of X-Men: Apocalypse, producer Simon Kinberg had to take over directing duties — Singer having suddenly disappeared from the production.
In October of 2017, 20th Century Fox refused to renew their contract with Singer’s production company Bad Hat Harry after nearly 15 years of having worked together. The following November, students at USC circulated a petition to have Singer’s name removed from the university’s School of Cinematic Arts, causing Singer himself to request that the school drop his name. Additionally, Goddard was accused by actor Anthony Edwards of molesting Edwards for years as a child.
In December, Singer was fired as the director of Bohemian Rhapsody. The studio cited Singer’s lack of availability on set. Singer objected that his frequent absences were caused by the failing health of one of his parents — a matter which the studio was unwilling to grant him leave to attend to. Two days later, Caesar Sanchez-Guzman filed a lawsuit against Singer alleging that Singer sexually assaulted him when Sanchez was 17-years-old.
Bohemian Rhapsody is scheduled for release on November 1.
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