Bryan Singer, who was fired this week from his job as director of the forthcoming Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, has been sued for sexual assaulting a minor, TMZ reports. Cesar Sanchez-Guzman claims that, in 2003, Singer raped him at a party on a yacht in the Seattle area. Guzman was 17 at the time. Singer then, the lawsuit claims, threatened to ruin Guzman’s reputation if he ever came forward about the incident. Guzman alleges that he suffered emotional, psychological, and physical injuries due to the incident. He is suing for unspecified damages. Find the full complaint below.
It is currently unclear whether or not Twentieth Century Fox, the studio behind Bohemian Rhapsody, knew about the allegations outlined in the new lawsuit. Pitchfork has reached out to studio representatives for comment.
Singer, through a representative, categorically denied Guzman’s claims in a statement to TMZ. They pointed out that the lawsuit was filed by the same lawyer who represented Michael Egan III. The actor sued Singer in 2014, alleging the director had drugged and sexually assaulted him when he was a minor. Egan later withdrew his claim, pleaded guilty to fraud, and was sentenced to two years in prison. Singer was also sued by the parents of minors who appeared in his 1998 film Apt Pupil. They claimed that their children were filmed in the nude without permission in violation of California law.
Earlier this week, Twentieth Century Fox halted production on Bohemian Rhapsody “due to the unexpected unavailability” of Singer. Soon after, he was officially fired from the project and a replacement director was announced. Singer also reportedly clashed on set with Rami Malek (who stars as lead singer Freddie Mercury), but Singer claimed the two resolved their differences. In a statement after his firing, Singer said that the studio refused to allow him to address his family’s “pressing health matters.”
