Red Sonja Movie Producer Addresses Bryan Singer Controversy
A new Red Sonja movie is finally on its way to becoming a reality, with Millennium Media's reboot of the sword-and-sorcery heroine beginning production earlier this summer. That milestone arrived after the live-action film had gone through a series of evolutions, with different creative teams and even different actors tied to the project. The first — and arguably the most controversial — was X-Men and Superman Returns director Bryan Singer, who was brought on to the project in 2018 and stayed on it until the spring of 2019, even amid multiple claims of sexual assault being filed against him. Millennium producer Avi Lerner defended the decision at the time, calling the allegations "agenda-driven fake news."
Singer was eventually replaced as director of Red Sonja by Joey Soloway, and later M.J. Bassett — and in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Millennium President Jeffrey Greenstein addressed the studio's decision to keep the director on board for as long as they did.
"Well, you try to make the best decision you can in the moment," Greenstein explained. "As time goes on, you pivot and continue to make the best possible decision for the movie, for the studio, for everyone involved. We came to [Transparent creator] Joey Soloway, who is a good friend and was going to direct and remains a creative force and executive producer on the project. And M.J. took the reins after and really helped to bring the story into fruition."
"Information is more readily available, but I think the world just wants to hold itself to a higher standard," Greenstein added. "That's something that is important for all of us to take on board. With that being said, we're trying to focus on telling stories, and anything that takes the focus away from that, isn't something that's good for the studio, for the project and for the audience."
What is the Red Sonja movie about?
Red Sonja is derived from the sword and sorcery comic books of the same name by Dynamite Entertainment, based on the heroine created by Robert E. Howard and adapted by Roy Thomas.
The film is led by Matilda Lutz as Red Sonja. Also starring in the film are Wallis Day as Annisia, and Robert Sheehan as Draygan. Additional cast includes Michael Bisping as Hawk, Martyn Ford as General Karlak, Eliza Matengu as Amarak, Manal El Feitury as Ayala, and Katrina Durden as Saevus.
What do you think of Greenstein's comments about Bryan Singer's previous connection to the Red Sonja movie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!