Bryan Singer's Kryptonite

Bryan Singer' at work.

With Bryan Singer' s new movie X-Men: Days of Future Past opening soon, it seemed a good time to revisit some old accusations. At least that was likely the thought of Michael Egan and his lawyer who filed a federal lawsuit on April 16th, 2014, accusing Singer of having sexually abused Egan in 1999 when he was 17 years old. The suit alleges Singer flew Egan to Hawaii, provided him with drugs and alcohol on more than one occasion. Egan claimed Singer raped him as well as other underage boys in Los Angeles and Kailua, Hawaii where firearms, drugs and alcohol were present.

In response to the accusations, Bryan Singers' Attorney has stated, "The claims made against Bryan Singer are completely without merit. We are very confident that Bryan will be vindicated in this absurd and defamatory lawsuit." Whether Bryan Singer is guilty or not has yet to be decided, but this is not the first time Singer has dealt with such accusations. We first reported on this in 2005.

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One of the most talked about movies of this past summer will not even be in theaters until next summer. Superman Returns is looking to be the most anticipated movie since Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It's stars, Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth, graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly earlier this summer. Director Bryan Singer has kept an online video diary on the making of Superman Returns. Many discussion groups have been all over the web dissecting rumors and gossip.

Bryan Singer has commented that his X-Men films were therapeutic for him in that as an adopted, Jewish homosexual he can relate to his characters feeling like outsiders. The scene in X-Men 2, where Bobby Drake came out of the mutant closet to his parents, was intentionally filmed to resemble a homosexual coming out of the closet. His mother's line, "Have you tried not being a mutant?" being the punch line.

With this information in mind, Superman fans began wondering where Singer would go with Superman. Early rumors had Singer making Superman gay. Then it was rumored that he would hire a gay actor to make a point, even though early actors attached to the project were Nicholas Cage and Jim Caviezel. Singer said he settled on Routh because he always intended on going with an unknown. Some on line discussion groups have suggested that Routh is a homosexual and that he was hired to prove the point that a homosexual could play such an icon.

Accusations are hardly a new thing for Singer. A lawsuit was filed that alleged that Singer forced young male actors to film a shower scene naked instead of acting in flesh toned bathing suits during the filming of Apt Pupil. The case was eventually dropped due to lack of evidence. Apt Pupil, a movie about a teenage boy fascinated by a old Nazi, does, however, have plenty of homoerotic overtones.

Brandon Routh as Superman.

According to the article in Entertainment Weekly, Superman Returns takes place after the second Christopher Reeve's installment. The plot revolves around Superman returning to Metropolis after an extended absence to find Lois Lane has moved on with a new suitor, and a child.

Kevin Spacey, (The Usual Suspects) and James Marsden (X-Men) co-star. Marlon Brando, via old film clips, will even appear as Jor El. To add to the "gay" controversy, Australia's most famous out of the closet athlete, Rugby player Ian Roberts, was cast in a small role.

I, personally, do not care about Bryan Singer's or any cast member's sexuality. As long as the character of Superman is faithful to its origins, the sex lives of the film's makers mean nothing. Bryan Singer is quite simply a great director. From the critically acclaimed The Usual Suspects to the X-Men blockbusters, Singer has delivered the goods. If putting elements from his own personal experiences into his movies makes them better then so be it as long as he remembers that superhero fans want this movie for the fantasy and not a social statement.