The ripple effects from the lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of an underage boy by X-Men: Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer (see "Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Targets 'X-Men' Director") spread far and wide on Thursday, and we round them up here.
Singer will not participate in WonderCon this weekend, according to Buzzfeed, which says that a planned press conference and interviews by Singer will be handled by producer/screenwriter Simon Kinberg. Buzzfeed also reports that ABC is removing Singer’s name from its promos for Black Box, which Singer exec produced.
X-Men: Days of Future Past studio Fox issued a statement, according to Variety, which said, "These are serious allegations, and they will be resolved in the appropriate forum. This is a personal matter, which Bryan Singer and his representatives are addressing separately."
Accuser Michael Egan and his attorney held a press conference on Thursday, at which Egan said the abuse was reported to authorities in 1999, when he was 17, with no charges filed; and attorney Jeff Herman said he’s planning to file suits against several additional "Hollywood types" in Hawaii before April 24, after which the statute of limitations would preclude further suits, according to Variety.
Singer’s attorney was having none of it, charging that the claims against Singer were "completely fabricated," and promising a claim for "malicious prosecution... after we prevail," according to Variety. And in a dig at the carefully crafted media strategy being used by Egan’s attorney Herman, "Attorneys who try cases don‘t hold press conferences."
And Egan apparently filed a suit in 2000 against other alleged assailants over events at around the same times and places in the latest suit against Singer, but did not include him, a fact that Singer’s attorneys pounced on as evidence that Singer was not involved, according to Hollywood Reporter.
It seems likely that the Wondercon cancellation will not be the last promotional plan to fall by the wayside before this plays out.
And Other Thursday Developments
Posted by ICv2 on April 18, 2014 @ 1:05 am CT
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