Bryan Singer pre-emptively denies allegations against him in upcoming Esquire story

Earlier this month, we wrote about the massive payday Hollywood director Bryan Singer would receive for Red Sonja, a “female-empowered” remake of the 1985 action fantasy, and how disconcerting this is in light of the many, many accusations of sexual assault that have been lodged against him over the years. Singer’s sexual misconduct has long been an alleged “open secret” in Hollywood, and now it appears that an on-the-record exposé is imminent: Today, Singer took to his Instagram to issue a statement ahead of an Esquire piece investigating the allegations.

“In today’s climate where people’s careers are harmed by mere accusations, what Esquire is attempting to do is a reckless disregard for the truth, making assumptions that are fictional and irresponsible,” he wrote, adding that the piece will “rehash false accusations and bogus lawsuits.” He also says the piece is being timed with the November 2 release of Bohemian Rhapsody, a film which he partially directed before getting fired for not showing up to work.

TheWrap reports that “a person close to Singer” confirmed that they had been approached by Esquire, and that “the questions were ‘clear enough’ to see where the article ‘was going.’” Singer’s statement may be telling, as disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein also sought to come out ahead of stories detailing his history of sexual harassment and assault before those were published last fall.