Washington: Filmmaker Bryan Singer, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct, will continue to direct the upcoming movie ‘Red Sonja’ film production company Millennium has said.
The ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ director was roped in for the upcoming project in September last year and will continue helming ‘Red Sonja’ despite all allegations levelled against him, Millenium said.
Speaking in favour of Singer, Avi Lerner, Millennium Chairman and producer, in a statement said, “The over $800 million ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has grossed, making it the highest grossing drama in film history, is a testament to his remarkable vision and acumen,” the Hollywood Reporter said.
Dismissing the sexual assault claims as fake news, Lerner said, “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.”
The director has been repeatedly accused of sexual misconduct for years. Earlier in December 2017, a man sued Singer claiming the director raped him when he was 17 years old.
The controversy surrounding the director became even more prominent after some fresh allegations were levelled against him earlier this week. A report published in Variety cited a news article that appeared in Atlantic on Wednesday according to which four men alleged that Singer had sexual encounters with them when they were teenagers in the late 1990s.
One of the men, Victor Valdovinos, said he was a 13-year-old extra on the set of the film ‘Apt Pupil’ when Singer fondled his genitals.
Singer’s attorney Andrew Brettler, however, denied to the magazine that Singer ever had sex with underage boys and disputed various details of the accusers’ accounts.
Singer also responded to the story on Wednesday, calling it a “homophobic smear piece.”
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]