Bryan Singer’s Action Film ‘Red Sonja’ Just Got Shelved

Bryan Singer may end up losing out on a mega payday, after all.

Singer was set to make as much as $10 million for directing the film adaptation to the comic book Red Sonja, the story of a "sword-wielding heroine with a dark back story including sexual assault," Deadline writes. While Singer has not been removed from the project, Millennium Films decided to put the big-budget action film on the back burner, telling Deadline that the film is "not on the slate at the moment."

Just after the Atlantic published a bombshell expose on Singer that detailed multiple allegations of sexual assault against the director, several including underage boys, Millennium Films producer Avi Lerner came out in support of the director.

"I continue to be in development for Red Sonja and Bryan Singer continues to be attached," Lerner said at the time. He cited Bohemian Rhapsody's $800 million gross as a reason to keep Singer on the project. He called Rhapsody a "testament to his remarkable vision and acumen."

Lerner himself, as well as other executives at Millennium, faced a lawsuit claiming sexual harassment and gender discrimination. The lawsuit claimed that Lerner and other execs referenced women as "whores, cocksuckers and mistresses." Lerner claimed the suit was "all lies."

Deadline reports that Lerner later walked back his comments, saying they "came out the wrong way" and that "victims should be heard and this allegation should be taken very, very seriously."

"I just don't agree to judge by Twitter," Lerner said. "I want [the accused] to be judged by the court."

Since the allegations surfaced, the British Academy suspended Singer's nomination for Rhapsody and the GLAAD Media Awards pulled the film from contention for its best wide release film category.

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