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Bryan Singer | |
|---|---|
_(cropped)(2).jpg) Singer in 2015 | |
| Born | Bryan Jay Singer (1965-09-17)September 17, 1965 (age 60) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | bryansinger |
Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965)[1] is an American filmmaker. He is the founder ofBad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed, as well as multiple television series.
After graduating from theUniversity of Southern California, Singer directed his first short film,Lion's Den (1988). On the basis of that film, he received financing for his next film,Public Access (1993), which was a co-winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993Sundance Film Festival. In the mid-1990s, Singer received critical acclaim for directing the neo-noir crime thrillerThe Usual Suspects (1995). He followed this with another thriller,Apt Pupil (1998), an adaptation of aStephen King novella about a boy's fascination with a Nazi war criminal.
In the 2000s, he became known for big budget superhero films such asX-Men (2000), for which Singer won the 2000Saturn Award for Best Direction, its sequelX2 (2003), andSuperman Returns (2006). He then directed the World War II historical thrillerValkyrie (2008), co-wrote/co-producedX-Men: First Class (2011), and directed the fantasy adventure filmJack the Giant Slayer (2013), as well as two moreX-Men films,X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) andX-Men: Apocalypse (2016). Singer also directed theQueen biographical filmBohemian Rhapsody (2018), although he was fired during the last weeks of filming.
Lawsuits were filed against Singer for sexual assault in 1997, 2014, and 2017. In 2019,The Atlantic published a report containing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, which led to him losing several jobs in the entertainment industry.
Singer was born on September 17, 1965 inNew York City[2] and was adopted by Grace Sinden, an environmental activist, and Norbert Dave Singer, a corporate executive.[3] He grew up in aJewish household inWest Windsor Township, New Jersey. In his early teens, he started making 8mm films as well as experimenting with photography.[4] He attendedWest Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, graduating in 1984.[5][6] He studied filmmaking for two years at theSchool of Visual Arts in New York, and later transferred to theUSC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles where he followed the Critical studies program.[7]
Singer directed a short film in 1988 calledLion's Den involving a number of friends, including actorEthan Hawke, whom he knew from his childhood in New Jersey, and editorJohn Ottman, whom he had met while working on a friend's short film.[8][9] After a screening ofLion's Den, Singer was approached by someone from Tokuma Japan Productions, a Japanese company interested in funding a series of low-budget films.[10] Singer pitched a concept that eventually became the filmPublic Access (1993). Ottman again served as editor but this time also composed the score for the film. At the 1993Sundance Film Festival, the film was named as co-winner of theGrand Jury Prize withRuby in Paradise.[11]
In 1994, he founded the production company Bad Hat Harry Productions, in homage toSteven Spielberg and the famous line fromJaws. Singer followed this by directingThe Usual Suspects, which was screened out of competition at the1995 Cannes Film Festival.[12] It was a success, winningChristopher McQuarrie anAcademy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay), and actorKevin Spacey anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[13]
In 1998, Singer obtained the rights to adaptStephen King's novellaApt Pupil, a thriller about an all-American boy discovering that aNazi war criminal lives in his neighborhood.[14] Singer'sfilm adaptation starredIan McKellen,Brad Renfro, andDavid Schwimmer.
In the early 2000s, Singer was hoping to directConfessions of a Dangerous Mind based on theChuck Barris book of the same name.[15] The film was later directed byGeorge Clooney forMiramax Films withSam Rockwell in the lead role. In February 2001, Singer was attempting to produce a newBattlestar Galactica television series forStudios USA (nowNBC Universal Television Studio). Speaking toBBC News, Singer said he was "confident that theGalactica brand is a sleeping giant. It was a show I watched during its initial run, from the pilot to the final episode. The essence and the brand name is quite potent in a climate where there's a great deficit of sci-fi programming."[16] Singer eventually left the project, which was produced by another team on theSci Fi Channel.
Singer directed the superhero filmsX-Men (2000) andX2 (2003), which were commercial successes. In mid-2004, Singer was in negotiations to directX-Men: The Last Stand for20th Century Fox when he agreed to directSuperman Returns forWarner Bros. Pictures. In consequence, 20th Century Fox terminated its production deal with Bad Hat Harry Productions, Singer's production company.[17]
Superman Returns was filmed in Australia in 2005, and was released on June 28, 2006. Singer claimed that he had always admired and identified with the character, citing the fact that he and Superman are both orphans, noting that he was inspired bythe 1978 film starringChristopher Reeve and the comics ofAlex Ross.[18]
In August 2009, Universal Pictures announced that Singer would direct and produce a big screen reimagining of theBattlestar Galacticatelevision series of the late-1970s, which would not draw any material from the Syfy Channelreimagined series.[19] On September 10, 2009, it was announced NBC has partnered with Singer andBryan Fuller to adaptAugusten Burroughs'sSellevision into a series about a fictional home shopping network, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.[20] Neither project was ultimately produced.
At the premiere ofJames Cameron'sAvatar on December 16, 2009, Singer confirmed that he would be directingJack the Giant Slayer (2013) for Warner Bros. Pictures, and that he had signed on to doX-Men: First Class,[21][non-primary source needed][22] but conflicts between the two projects led to Singer being only a producer and co-screenwriter onFirst Class,[23] withMatthew Vaughn taking over directorial duties.[24]
In October 2012, it was announced that Singer would direct the next movie in theX-Men series,X-Men: Days of Future Past; Vaughn stayed on as a producer and screenwriter, and the film was released in May 2014.[25] Singer produced the commercials for the ice creamMagnum Gold, which featuredBenicio del Toro.[26] In 2012, Singer was the executive producer alongsideJane Lynch of the short film,Ronny and I,[27] directed by Guy Shalem that screened at Outfest and Cannes.[28][29] Singer directed anotherX-Men film,X-Men: Apocalypse,[30] which he also produced and co-wrote withSimon Kinberg,Dan Harris, andMichael Dougherty.[31]Days of Future Past starsHugh Jackman,James McAvoy,Michael Fassbender,Jennifer Lawrence,Nicholas Hoult,Lucas Till, andEvan Peters re-teamed with Singer forApocalypse.[32][33] After the release ofX-Men: Apocalypse in 2016, Singer expressed interest in directing a soloMystique film starring Jennifer Lawrence.[34]
In 2015, Singer, Bad Hat Harry Productions, and Same Name Productions started to collaborate on a documentary project with Guy Shalem. The documentary was set to explore theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict through the vantage point of a dynamic Arab-Israeli activist.[35] In 2016, Fox announced that Singer would direct its version ofTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, after having been asked to participate on the elaboration of the movie's script.[36]
In November 2016, it was announced that Singer would direct theQueen biopicBohemian Rhapsody.[37] He produced the film withJim Beach andGraham King.[38] On December 1, 2017,The Hollywood Reporter reported that 20th Century Fox had temporarily halted production due to the "unexpected unavailability" of Singer, with sources saying that he had failed to return to the set after the Thanksgiving week. Producers were nervous about the state of production and started discussions about potentially replacing him, at which point cinematographerNewton Thomas Sigel may have stepped in to direct during Singer's absence.[39] Singer's absence was reportedly due to "a personal health matter concerning [him] and his family", and Singer's representatives stated that he was visiting his ill mother.[40] However, other sources stated that the film's lead actorRami Malek and the crew had grown tired of Singer's behavior; Singer had reportedly shown up late to set on multiple occasions, and had repeatedly clashed with Malek.[41] On December 4, 2017, Singer was fired as a director with about two weeks remaining in principal photography.[42] Singer's replacementDexter Fletcher is quoted saying he came in and "just finished it up, really."[43] 20th Century Fox terminated hisBad Hat Harry Productions deal with the studio. Singer still received directorial credit forBohemian Rhapsody due to aDirectors Guild of America ruling that only a sole director can receive credit.[44]
At the end of January 2017, Singer signed on to direct an action adventure pilot in theX-Men Universe entitledThe Gifted. The show was broadcast onFox and canceled after two seasons.[45]
In June 2023,Variety reported that Singer was producing and self-financing a documentary in which he would address the accusations of sexual abuse made against him.[46][47]
In August 2025,Variety reported that Singer was secretly directing his first feature film in eight years, withJon Voight in a starring role. The film is described as a period drama that revolves around the relationship between a father and son during the height ofIsrael's occupation of Lebanon in the late 1970s or early 1980s.[48]
Singer isbisexual[49] and has said that growing up in a Jewish household as a sexual minority influenced his movies.[50] He and actressMichelle Clunie have a son who was born in January 2015.[51]
Singer lived inMalibu, California before selling his property there in 2021. As of June 2023, he resided inIsrael after moving there several years earlier.[52][53][54]
In 1997, a 14-year-old extra accused Singer of asking him and other minors to film a shower scene nude for the filmApt Pupil.[55] Two other adolescent boys, 16 and 17 years old, later supported the 14-year-old's claim. The boys claimed trauma from the experience and filed a civil suit against the filmmakers alleginginfliction of emotional distress,negligence, andinvasion of privacy,[56] and alleged that they were filmed for sexual gratification.[57] While some sources state that the civil case was dismissed due to insufficient evidence,[58][59][60] others indicate that it was settled out of court.[61][62][63] TheLos Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to press criminal charges.[63]
In April 2014, Singer was accused in a civil lawsuit ofsexual assault of a minor. According to the suit filed by attorneyJeff Herman, Singer is alleged to havedrugged and raped actor and model Michael Egan III in Hawaii, after initially meeting him at parties hosted by convictedsex offenderMarc Collins-Rector in the late 1990s.[64] Singer's attorney called the allegations "completely fabricated" and said Singer planned tocountersue.[65] Singer denied the allegations in a statement, calling them "outrageous, vicious, and completely false".[66] On May 22, 2014, Singer's attorney presented evidence toFederal District JudgeSusan Oki Mollway stating that neither Singer nor Egan was in Hawaii at the time.[67] In early August 2014, Egan sought to withdraw his lawsuit via a Request for Court Order of Dismissal, and asked that it be granted "without prejudice or an award of costs or fees, in the interest of justice."[68]
In May 2014, another lawsuit was filed by attorney Jeff Herman on behalf of an anonymous British man. Both Singer and producerGary Goddard (who was also named separately in the first case) were accused of sexually assaulting "John Doe No. 117".[69] According to the lawsuit, Goddard and Singer met the man for sex when he was a minor and engaged in acts of "gender violence" against him while in London for the premiere ofSuperman Returns.[70] The charge against Singer in this case was dismissed, at the accuser's request, in July 2014.[71]
Singer was cited in the 2014 documentary film on child sexual abuse in Hollywood,An Open Secret, but details of Egan's allegations were omitted after Egan withdrew his lawsuit during the film's production.[72][73] AuthorBret Easton Ellis alleged that two of his former partners had attended underage sex parties hosted by Singer and fellow directorRoland Emmerich.[74]
On December 7, 2017, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman filed a lawsuit inWashington against Singer, alleging that he had been raped at age 17 by Singer in 2003. Singer denied the allegations[75] and deleted his Twitter account.[76] After the lawsuit was announced, theUSC School of Cinematic Arts removed Singer's name from its Division of Cinema & Media Studies program,[77] an action which had previously been petitioned for by students at the school due to the many allegations against him.[78]
In June 2019, Sanchez-Guzman's bankruptcy trustee Nancy James recommended that a $150,000 settlement be approved, citing the absence of evidence that Singer attended the yacht party where the alleged assault took place. Singer's attorney Andrew Brettler said that Singer has maintained his innocence and that the "decision to resolve the matter with the bankruptcy trustee was purely a business one". Much of the settlement would go towards paying creditors and the administrators of the case, with the remainder allocated to Sanchez-Guzman.[79]
On January 23, 2019, Alex French and Maximillian Potter published aninvestigative report inThe Atlantic in which four more men alleged that Singer sexually assaulted them when they wereunderage.[80][81][82] The article also claimed that Sanchez-Guzman's 2017 lawsuit was stalled when Singer's legal team reported Sanchez-Guzman to theInternal Revenue Service and toUS immigration officials, although this was disputed by one of Singer's lawyers.[80][83] In response to the men's allegations, Singer denied any association with them and described the journalists as "homophobic".[80][84][85]
In the wake of the renewed allegations,GLAAD withdrewBohemian Rhapsody's nomination for the year'sGLAAD Media Award (in theOutstanding Film – Wide Release category) because "Singer's response toThe Atlantic story wrongfully used 'homophobia' to deflect from sexual assault allegations".[86][87]Time's Up released a statement on Twitter applauding the decision, stating, "The recent allegations regarding Bryan Singer's behavior are horrifying and MUST be taken seriously and investigated."[88][86][89][90] On February 6, theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts removed Singer's name fromBohemian Rhapsody's nomination for theBAFTA Award for Best British Film due to the allegations against him.[91][92]
On February 11,Millennium Films stated thatRed Sonja, a film that Singer had been attached to as director, was no longer on their slate of films; the company's founder,Avi Lerner, had previously defended hiring Singer in spite of the allegations.[93]
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | |||
| 1988 | Lion's Den | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | As Michael; short film |
| 1993 | Public Access | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| 1995 | The Usual Suspects | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 1998 | Apt Pupil | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Burn | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2000 | X-Men | Yes | No | Story | No | |
| 2002 | Star Trek: Nemesis | No | No | No | Yes | As Kelly |
| 2003 | X2 | Yes | Executive | Story | Cameo | As security guard |
| 2006 | Superman Returns | Yes | Yes | Story | No | |
| Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman | No | Executive | No | No | Documentary | |
| 2007 | Color Me Olsen | No | Yes | No | No | Short film |
| Trick 'r Treat | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2008 | Valkyrie | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 2011 | X-Men: First Class | No | Yes | Story | No | [23][94] |
| 2013 | Jack the Giant Slayer | Yes | Yes | No | No | [95] |
| Uwantme2killhim? | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2014 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | Yes | Yes | No | Cameo | As man with a small film camera[96] |
| The Taking of Deborah Logan | No | Yes | No | No | [97] | |
| 2016 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Yes | Yes | Story | Cameo | As security guard |
| 2018 | Bohemian Rhapsody | Yes | Uncredited | No | No | Replaced byDexter Fletcher late in production but retained credit as director |
| 2019 | Dark Phoenix | No | Uncredited | No | No | Removed from production and credits amid sexual assault allegations.[98] |
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | |||
| 2004–2012 | House | Yes (2004) | Executive | Yes | Episodes: "Pilot" (also known as "Everybody Lies"), "Occam's Razor" and "Sports Medicine" | |
| 2005 | The Triangle | Yes | Yes | Miniseries | ||
| 2006 | The Science of Superman | Yes | TV documentary | |||
| 2007 | Football Wives | Yes | Yes | Episode: "Pilot" | ||
| 2007–2009 | Dirty Sexy Money | Yes | ||||
| 2008 | Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler | Yes | TV documentary | |||
| 2012 | Mockingbird Lane | Yes | Executive | TV special | ||
| 2015 | Battle Creek | Yes | Executive | Episode: "The Battle Creek Way" | ||
| 2017 | Legion | Executive | Removed from credits for season two onward amid sexual assault allegations | |||
| 2017–2019 | The Gifted | Yes (2017) | Executive | Episode: "eXposed" | ||
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | |||
| 2012–2013 | H+: The Digital Series | Yes | ||||
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| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Public Access | Sundance Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Won | |
| Deauville American Film Festival | International Critics' prize | Won | |||
| 1995 | The Usual Suspects | Tokyo International Film Festival | Silver prize | Won | |
| Seattle International Film Festival | Best Director | Won | |||
| 1996 | The Usual Suspects | Empire Awards | Best Newcomer | Won | |
| Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Himself | Saturn Award | President's Memorial Award | Won | ||
| 1999 | Apt Pupil | Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated | |
| 2001 | X-Men | Empire Awards | Best Director | Won | |
| Saturn Award | Best Director | Won | |||
| 2002 | X-Men | Prix Nebula | Best Script | Nominated | |
| 2004 | X2 | Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Superman Returns | Empire Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |
| Saturn Award | Best Director | Won | |||
| 2009 | Valkyrie | Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated | |
| 2015 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated | |
| 2017 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Saturn Award | Best Director | Nominated |
Note: Singer was initially listed as a nominee forBest British Film at theBritish Academy Film Awards forBohemian Rhapsody as a co-producer in2019;[99] however, following sexual assault allegations, the Academy announced that they had rescinded his nomination.[100]
Two West Windsor-Plainsboro High School graduates are following in the footsteps of two other filmmakers from West Windsor, Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie. Singer, Class of 1984, and McQuarrie, Class of 1986, have recently joined together for the filming of "Valkyrie", a controversial film about Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, the German Army officer who tried to do away with Hitler during World War II.
As a child, Mr. Singer grew up in Princeton Junction, N.J. His father, Norbert Singer, is a businessman and his mother, Grace, is an environmental activist and former state environmental official. Mr. Singer attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan for two years, and then transferred to the University of Southern California.
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