Bryan Singer: 'Smear Piece' Was Turned Down Once

In October, director Bryan Singer posted on Instagram about a forthcoming "negative article" on him full of "false accusations." It wasn't the Atlantic investigation that dropped on Wednesday, but rather a piece that he said Esquire was working on. And, in a statement released Wednesday, one that he said found a second life at the Atlantic. The Daily Beast has his statement on the "homophobic smear piece" that alleged underage sex and even rape: "The last time I posted about this subject, Esquire magazine was preparing to publish an article written by a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997. After careful fact-checking and, in consideration of a lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this piece of vendetta journalism."

"That didn’t stop this writer," whom Singer does not name, "from selling it to the Atlantic." Singer called it "sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low standard of journalistic integrity," and once again said that the claims are previously aired ones that come "from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention." He also points to the release of the piece—a day after Bohemian Rhapsody's Oscar nominations were announced—as "conveniently timed to take advantage of [the film's] success." Singer was fired as director of the movie prior to the conclusion of production, something the Atlantic piece touches on. (Singer has dealt with sexual assault allegations before.)