Bryan Singer-directed project Red Sonja put on hold amidst abuse allegations

When word first arrived last year that Bryan Singer would be signing for a rumored $10 million to direct an adaptation of the Marvel-originated comic Red Sonja, it was generally met with a resounding “oh god, why?” For one, a byproduct of Bohemian Rhapsody’s smash success has been the return of the many controversies around Singer to the public conversation. The director has been followed by allegations of sexual harassment and assault throughout much of his career, and a recent article in The Atlantic included several new allegations of the same nature. For another, the comic itself is a story of a woman victimized by sexual assault, who develops supernatural gifts in order to avenge herself.

Nothing about the project would seem like a fit for Singer, and yet initially, Millennium Films (the planned distributor for the film) appeared to take a strong stance in defense of the director. CEO Avi Lerner initially declared that the latest allegations were “agenda driven fake news”, and that Singer would remain on board. (Lerner would later walk the remarks back, while emphasizing that he wasn’t recanting them entirely.)

Now, it seems like the public pressure against the project has finally become too much for the production to handle, as The Hollywood Reporter has now confirmed that Red Sonja “…is no longer on the company’s slate and it is not being shopped at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin”. The Reporter article specifies that Singer has (as of this writing) not been fired from the project, but if this latest news is any indication, Millennium may now be taking the diplomatic way out of what most of us can agree would have been a cursed movie from the start.

Consequence of Sound will continue to follow this story as it develops.