For several weeks now, the Weinstein fire has slowly encircled “X-Men” director Bryan Singer, but somehow he keeps escaping its reach, despite having a rap sheet of sexual misconduct allegations going all the way back to 1997. Let’s recap them, shall we:
Back in 2014, his film X Men: Days of Future Past nearly came undone when actor Michael Egan III filed a civil suit alleging that Singer drugged him and “forced him into sex at parties in Encino and Hawaii — starting when Egan was only 15.” Singer denied the allegations and the lawsuit was eventually dropped. At the same time, though, another alleged victim filed suit against Singer, making similar accusations. That suit was also, eventually, dismissed.
In 1997, Singer was accused by a 14-year-old boy of asking him and other minors to shower in the nude for the film Apt Pupil. That lawsuit was dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence.
As the Weinstein fire grew, it eventually snagged the pants of former Singer collaborator Kevin Spacey when multiple men came forward to accuse him of sexual assault, some claiming Spacey preyed on them at ages as young as 14. Spacey’s outing immediately got people talking on social media about Bryan Singer, not a coincidence in the least. As you might recall, Singer directed Spacey to his first Oscar win in 1995’s “The Usual Suspects.” The pair also reunited for “Superman Returns” in 2006. Here’s what people were saying:
Days later, a man named Justin Smith took to social media claiming that he saw first-hand the many alleged sexual misdeeds committed by Bryan Singer and even guaranteed “the stories of the young men who say they were raped are true.” His tweets soon vanished from social media, as well as his Twitter account.
Hollywood A-lister Jessica Chastain also shone a light on the Singer allegations and told The Daily Beast of her refusal to back down from helping to bring Hollywood’s dark underbelly to light.
Following Chastain’s tweet and her interview with The Daily Beast, the controversy surrounding Singer only worsened. Over at USC, students began circulating a petition on Change.org calling for removal of the director’s name from the school’s Division of Cinema and Media Studies, saying its presence “sets a precedent of lenience for sexual criminals and further undermines the visibility and respect that victims of harassment and assault deserve.” As of this writing, the petition has garnered 3,500 signatures.
Last Friday, another shoe dropped in the Bryan Singer saga when former “Top Gun” and “ER” actor Anthony Edwards published a harrowing essay online accusing Singer’s longtime pal and collaborator Gary Goddard of molesting him at age 12.
“My vulnerability was exploited. I was molested by Goddard, my best friend was raped by him — and this went on for years. The group of us, the gang, stayed quiet,” Edwards wrote.
The 63-year-old Gary Goddard directed the 1987 “He-Man” live-action film “Masters of the Universe” before going on to form the entertainment design firm The Goddard Group. The firm has helped to create top-level theme park attractions for Six Flags and Universal Studios, as well as the Tony Award-winning revival of the hit musical “Hair.”
Back in 2014, Goddard also was accused alongside director Bryan Singer of sexually molesting an anonymous British teenager and actor Michael Egan III. Both men denied the allegations and the suits were eventually dropped.
According to IMDB, Bryan Singer and Gary Goddard co-directed the upcoming musical “Broadway 4D” starring Christina Aguilera and Hugh Jackman.
Speaking through his publicist, media giant Gary Goddard has denied all allegations against him from Anthony Edwards; Bryan Singer has issued no comment, having recently deleted his Twitter account.
Though publications have cited Singer’s involvement with Gary Goddard mid-way through their articles, none, from Hollywood Reporter to Variety, have highlighted Singer’s close involvement and sordid history with a now-alleged child molester as accused from a highly credible source on their front-pages or their top headlines.
As of this writing, no announcements have been made of any consequences brought to bear on Gary Goddard or Bryan Singer.
Singer remains a credited producer on the upcoming blockbuster “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” a film marketed to children. His Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” set for release in December 2018, and starring Rami Malek as the “Queen” frontman, has already generated Oscar buzz a whole year out from release.