Bryan Singer is in serious trouble.
His latest film was a huge box office success that caught everyone by surprise.
But Singer can’t even enjoy the film’s acclaim because of one ugly sex scandal.
Director Bryan Singer first rose to prominence with his breakthrough hit The Usual Suspects.
The film vaulted Singer and star Kevin Spacey into A-list territory and amplified the careers of other supporting actors, such as Beniciodel Toro and Chazz Palminteri.
However, Singer’s follow-up feature Apt Pupil is where the controversy around him sparked.
Singer, who is gay, and the film production were accused of pressuring underaged boys to strip during a shower scene in the movie.
The matter was settled out of court, but Singer’s reputation for being attracted to teenage boys bubbled in Hollywood circles.
Singer’s propensity for throwing pool parties chock full of young men became one of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood.
The rumors dogged Singer, but never derailed his career.
But the fall of mega-producer Harvey Weinstein amid sexual harassment and rape allegations opened the door for other Hollywood predators to face the music.
During the #MeToo imbroglio kicked off by Weinstein’s demise, Singer was in production on his passion project Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic about the band Queen and frontman Freddie Mercury.
Singer claimed his behavior was due to an illness in his family, but now it’s known he was in the throes of a lawsuit for an alleged rape he committed in 2003.
The film has grossed nearly $800 million worldwide and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
However, Singer very likely won’t be in attendance at the Oscars, just as he skipped the Golden Globes.
Singer tried to launch a preemptive strike against a hit piece from Esquire, but the magazine spiked the exposé for an unknown reason.
However, The Atlantic ran with the story, and Singer’s alleged bad deeds have again been thrust into the spotlight.
The piece includes stories of forcible rape, statutory rape, sexual quid pro quo, and other abhorrent behavior committed by Singer and long-time associates.
Singer denied all charges of criminality and said the “homophobic” author of the piece has a vendetta against him.
But critics questioned some of Singer’s actions that fueled these allegations.
One example is the case of Brian Peck.
Peck is a convicted pedophile who’s somehow still allowed to work with kids in Hollywood.
Despite being a relatively obscure actor, Singer allowed Peck to appear with him on the DVD commentary track for X-Men.
As The Atlantic points out, Singer has several other undeniable connections to known child abusers and serial harassers.
Singer has thus far escaped punishment for any alleged wrongdoing, as have other high-profile bigwigs.
Jeffrey Epstein of “Lolita Express” ignominy escaped a harsh prison sentence, likely due to his escapades with power players like Bill Clinton.
However, Weinstein doesn’t seem likely to skate on his charges, nor does Kevin Spacey, who coincidentally has faced accusations very similar to Singer.
Perhaps there’s a sea change afoot in Hollywood where bad behavior actually gets punished.