X-Men: Days of Future Past Director Sued, Alleging Sexual Abuse of a Minor

X-Men: Days of Future Past

director Bryan Singer is being accused of sexual abuse of a teenage boy in a civil suit filed Wednesday, according to court documents obtained by The Wrap. According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Hawaii, plaintiff Michael Egan was 17 when he was forcibly sodomized by Singer. Underage rape victims are typically not named, but Egan's name was released in a press release from his lawyers, who say they plan to bring more charges against Singer and others involved with sex parties in Hollywood. "Hollywood has a problem with the sexual exploitation of children," said attorney Jeff Herman. "This is the first of many cases I will be filing to give these victims a voice and to expose the issue." The suit alleges Singer provided Egan with drugs and alcohol and flew him to Hawaii for sex on more than one occasion in 1999, and claims that Egan was not the only underage boy who was abused. Rumors about Singer's sexual appetites have been floating around for years; Alex Burton, who played Pyro in X-Men but has no other major credits before or since, claimed that he was cast after a hot tub party, and that the part was written into the film just so that Singer could bring him on board. Singer is openly gay and has been for years, so that element of the story won't be news to many, although since a director's sexual orientation isn't particularly relevant to his job, many may not know. With X-Men: Days of Future Past set to be released in a month, Fox and Singer surely don't want this hanging over their heads throughout the press junket. Given the age of the accusations, it seems plausible that the suit was timed to maximize the defendant's willingness to settle quickly and quietly.