If you’re a film fan that likes to follow the goings-on behind the scenes of projects, then you’ve probably heard of a concept called “director jail.” The general definition is when a director does something that Hollywood finds particularly harmful, normally having to do with extreme critical and commercial failure, and finds themselves unable to land another major project. Most of the time, these directors toil around with small indie fare until they get so loud, with critical acclaim, that the studios begrudgingly hire them again with the chance at another major film project.
Well, if your name is Bryan Singer, apparently you have a “Get Out of Jail Free” card in your back pocket. That’s obvious by the fact the director of numerous “X-Men” films and the upcoming “Bohemian Rhapsody” is about to land one of the biggest paydays of his career for the just-announced “Red Sonja,” after some serious recent controversy.
READ MORE: Bryan Singer To Helm ‘Red Sonja’ Despite Sexual Assault Claims & Being Dismissed From Previous Film
Director jail has taken the careers of Karyn Kusama (after “Aeon Flux” crashed and burned in 2005, she’s only now getting recognition again over a decade later), Todd Field (after 5 Oscar noms, including Best Picture, for “In the Bedroom,” his next film bombed and he has yet to recover), and Mimi Leder (directed “Deep Impact,” but bombed on “Pay It Forward” in 2000, relegated to TV work and finally has a major release this year with “On the Basis of Sex”) just to name a few. But as mentioned, the only problems these directors had was a bought with box office failure. Bryan Singer, on the other hand, has been accused of far, far worse.
Things started to fall apart for Singer when his name was brought up during the beginnings of the #MeToo movement. The director was accused by multiple people, including one underage person, who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by the director, as well as being intimidated into being kept quiet. Then as if those allegations weren’t enough, and for most people, similar allegations have ended careers, Singer had recently walked off the set of “Bohemian Rhapsody” after alleged erratic behavior, including throwing an object at his star, Rami Malek. He was subsequently fired and replaced by Dexter Fletcher.
But now, not even a year removed from the sexual assault allegations and horrible on-set behavior, THR reports that Singer is negotiating a “Red Sonja” contract that could earn him up to $10 million to direct the film. You read that right, TEN. MILLION. DOLLARS.
As filmmakers like the aforementioned Kusama, Field, Leder, and many, many more can attest, they may not ever see that sort of payday, and many would argue that each of them is equal-or-more talented than Singer.
But hey, whatever Singer is doing, it’s working. As Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby, and dozens more lose careers and livelihoods off of similar situations, Singer is thriving now more than ever.
READ MORE: Woody Allen Reportedly Taking A Break From Filmmaking For The First Time In Decades
If you’re scratching your head, confused and upset by this news, you’re not alone.