Is Bryan Singer through?

Bryan Singer may be kaput. There was a long article in The Atlantic about the sexual abuse and rape allegations against him involving teenage boys. Since then, the movie Red Sonja that he was set to direct has been shelved, GLAAD disqualified Bohemian Rhapsody from it's annual Media Awards and BAFTA suspended Singers's nomination in the Outstanding British Film catagory. The movie itself and people associated with it are still in the running.

The first I heard of the guy was the scandal around the movie Apt Pupil (1998). Kids who showed up as extras in a locker room scene thinking they would be wearing speedos or towels were ordered to appear nude. According to the Atlantic article, Singer molested a 13-year-old extra in a separate section of the locker room.

In the case of Red Sonja, as I understand it, there are doubts about distribution in the United States which it needs to get distribution deals outside the United States.

When he was hired to direct Bohemian Rhapsody, Singer had to be told to show up every day to not break any laws. Doesn't seem like much to ask, but they had to fire him anyway. According to Hollywood Reporter:

There was great tension on the set, caused in part by Singer's tardiness and absences. Malek, taking his seat in the makeup chair at 6:30 a.m., would find himself and other cast and crew waiting around for a director whose work ethic fell short. Tom Hollander, who plays Queen manager Jim Beach, was said to be so upset with Singer that he quit the project briefly.

Tensions escalated into an on-set altercation between Singer and his star (by all accounts, one of the nicest actors in the business). With reports of a piece of electrical equipment thrown by Singer (though not at anyone), a complaint — apparently from Malek — prompted Fox to dispatch several execs to London. Singer's conduct was deemed not actionable. With principal photography about two-thirds done as the holidays approached, the studio hoped to power through. Singer now tells THR in a statement that, "Any discussion about fights between myself and Rami Malek are simply an exaggeration of a few creative differences that were quickly resolved. This is normal on a film set. And I think the work speaks for itself."

Around Thanksgiving, Singer declared that he needed to return home — for several weeks. He asked the studio to pause the production. Snider admonished him not to get on a plane; he left anyway. "He said he was exhausted and something got thrown in that his mom was not well," says a source involved.

Singer flew to Los Angeles; his mother was in New Jersey.

Amazing the problems they have with someone paid so much.

An unnamed executive is quoted in the article:

"There are artists we work with who are complex and raw in their behavior. Do we tolerate any of that kind of behavior going forward? I don't think Bryan is an interesting debate anymore. There are a bunch of other people who are."

He's directed some successful movies, but I doubt it was his directing that did the trick. Bryan Singer's not an auteur. He's a director, not a filmmaker. Without a huge budget, there's not much there. If they won't trust him with tens of millions of dollars, he's finished.