Scandals are nothing new in Hollywood. However, the recent influx of sexual misconduct and assault stories that have come up, thanks to the #MeToo movement, have wreaked havoc in the film and TV industries. The scandals are so widespread and all-encompassing, that sometimes they even bleed into one another. That seems to be the case with the recent accusations against WB chairman Kevin Tsujihara and the continued drama surrounding “Bohemian Rhapsody” director Bryan Singer.
The recent stories surrounding Tsujihara are far too detailed and lengthy to accurately sum up in this article, but suffice to say, he had an affair with an actress and then attempted to use his power at Warner Bros. to land special roles for his mistress. And somehow, this affair links back to Bryan Singer, who found himself embroiled in even more accusations of sexual assault against underage boys recently.
The connective tissue seems to be in the form of producer/film executive Avi Lerner.
In a recent report from THR, which details the accusations surrounding Tsujihara, Lerner’s name comes up quite a bit, as a person that the WB executive reached out to, in hopes of finding acting roles for his secret love interest. Again, the details are not for this article, but definitely worth a read.
Buried deep in the report is a line from THR saying that Lerner, who is the man behind the upcoming “Red Sonja” reboot film, has fired Singer from the project due to the producer finding no takers for US distribution.
For those that have been following the Singer drama, this is fairly major news. Right after the recent Atlantic piece about the filmmaker dropped, Singer denied everything (obviously) and was staunchly defended by Lerner, who had just hired the director to helm “Red Sonja.” However, Lerner came under fire for his defense of Singer, and the fact that he was paying the director upwards of $10 million for the project.
READ MORE: Ian McKellen Apologizes For Bryan Singer & Kevin Spacey Defense
Previous reports said that “Red Sonja” was delayed due to the drama, but didn’t mention Singer was let go. Now, it appears that the reason “Red Sonja” is back on the shelf is because Lerner is going to need to start from scratch on the development, beginning with a new filmmaker.
