X-Men’s cast threatened to quit the movie due to director Bryan Singer: Report

Bryan Singer has been accused of on-set misbehaviour and sexual misconduct. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)

X-Men released almost 20 years ago and is still credited for paving the way for modern CGI-driven superhero films that led to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, a report in The Hollywood Reporter has shed new light on the troubled production of the first-ever movie in the X-Men franchise. The film directed by Bryan Singer and was a huge hit back in the day.

The report claims that one of the days during the shoot, Singer and a few other crew members had taken a narcotic that left them incapacitated. Soon after, Singer insisted on shooting a stunt scene involving Hugh Jackman, who played the main role of Wolverine. Tom DeSanto, a producer, stopped the production but was ordered to leave set the next day.

After this, cast members went to Singer’s trailer and threatened to quit if DeSanto left. Halle Berry, who played the role of Ororo Munroe or Storm in the movie, reportedly said to Singer, “You can kiss my Black ass.” A representative of Singer denies this, saying, “nothing like that ever happened.”

Singer went on to helm future X-Men movies as well and was attached to Fox for many years until he was fired halfway through Bohemian Rhapsody. Allegations of sexual abuse against Singer date back to 1997. A report in The Atlantic in 2019 said that four more men accused Singer of sexually abusing them when they were underage. Singer denied those allegations.