Featured,  Film

TAKING A STAND: Why We Will Not Be Covering Bryan Singer’s RED SONJA (Or His Future Endeavors)

It’s not everyday that we, the staff of WOBAM! Entertainment, face a moral quandary. But in light of resurfaced allegations against X-Men director Bryan Singer, we feel compelled to draw some necessary lines.

Bryan Singer (Superman Returns, Bohemian Rhapsody) currently faces multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against a minor. These are serious accusations that the media has largely ignored; past allegations and a 2017 lawsuit against Singer were swept under the rug, and we were fast made to forget about them. Then the Me Too movement happened, and those allegations slowly resurfaced. Now this week, an expose by The Atlantic tells a darker picture of his escapades.

As a comic book news site, we strive to cover every topic in our field that we have the ability to cover. One such project is the upcoming Red Sonja reboot, based on the popular comic series of the same name.

Last year, Bryan Singer was announced as the director of Millennium Films’ Red Sonja. Following the release of The Atlantic article, the producers of the film have chosen to double down on their backing of Singer, allowing the project to move forward.

We believe in due process. We believe in victims having their word. We believe in victimizers having their day in court. We believe in the standard of “innocent until proven guilty”. However, at a certain point, we have to acknowledge a pattern of behavior and the severe lack of apology or contrition for actions taken. We can also choose to not cover someone if we are worried they will continue to repeat said pattern.

In light of these serious allegations, and while they remain, we choose to recuse ourselves from covering Red Sonja or any other past, present, or future projects Bryan Singer is attached to. To do otherwise would diminish the platform of his alleged victims in their pursuit of justice, and would recognize his work. Separating art from the artist is difficult, and these allegations have made it impossible for us to do so in this case.

The comics community is one that has long dealt with people who use their place to harm others. It’s one that has often been unwelcoming to people on the basis of their gender, their ethnicity, who they loved, or whom they worship. For decades, our community has often chosen to be silent because it is easier than speaking up.

Sometimes, it only takes the stand of a few to spark change. It’s our belief that our sister sites in the nerd blogosphere should take this same hard stand.

The producers of Red Sonja need to understand that Bryan Singer is not the man to adapt one of comics’ most enduring female heroines. The most visible way we know to get Millennium Films’ attention is for nerd news sites to abandon them at the door. Should they change course and replace Singer, we will certainly reevaluate and begin covering the project.

We take allegations of misconduct and abuse seriously; we have crew members who have faced it in their professional and private lives. This is not a decision we take lightly. But it is one we take united together.

Sincerely, the WOBAM! Entertainment Writing Staff

– Paul Romano, Katie Gilstrap, Landon Beall, Colin J. Kelly, Michael Thomas, John Mathews, Jason Thompson, Isak Wolff, Nate Richard, and Markus Mattila

We're the passionate staff of WOBAM! Entertainment, covering the worlds of heroes and galaxies far, far, away.

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